Ordinary
by YFWE
Summary: First update in two years. In a world in which he is not the American Dragon, Jake must find it in himself to save Grandpa from the Huntsclan... DONE :D
1. Default Chapter

Ola. YFWE here, and I thought I'd try a new fic! Go me. It'll probably be the deepest one I've ever done. And this'll also be the only time I'll update it for a while. I still need to finish Dragon in Paradise. (Haven't read it and need a good laugh? Read it.) So... yeah. This'll be pretty short, but the next chapters should be about par for me. (In other words, pretty damn long.) Ok, have fun everyone, and read Fool's Gold by my brother. (I'm his marketing exec. :) )

P.S.: This prologue is from the point of view of Jake, and is a songfic of Train's "Ordinary". Train iz deh PIMP fo' schizzle.

Ordinary

YFWE

I had always wondered- what would happen if someone else found out my other identity? Especially if it was someone that would be really dangerous if they found out? Once, I thought I was almost discovered by the teenage rumor queen, Natalie Portman, but I soon realized that she didn't really know.

/Whose eyes am I behind/

I figured that one day, I would have to tell someone.

/I don't recognize anything that I see  
Whose skin is this design/ 

Maybe I could tell my friends. And Trixie and Spud- they found out anyway. But there was always the possibility of someone else...

/I don't want this to be the way that you see me /

What if I told Rose? How would she react? But then again, what if she didn't like me as a dragon? What if... she left me, because of my other identity?

/I don't understand anything anymore  
And this web that I'm tied up  
Is taking me right up these walls  
That I climb up  
To get to your story/

I had always wanted to tell her. But I knew that it'd be hard. Time after time, I tried. But then, I got the chance. When our school took the ski trip. If she had any doubts about me, I needed to tell her...

/It's anything from ordinary/

I was anything but ordinary.

/And when the world is on its knees  
With me, it's fine/

I had always had no trouble with being the hero. It wasn't like I was really ever "saving the world", but I was still saving many things. I mean, New York was pretty big, after all.

/And when I come to the rescue  
I get nothing but left behind/

It just kinda sucked that I never was able to reveal my secret identity to many people. Normal people, that is. Only Trixie and Spud. I couldn't even tell my dad!

/Everybody seems to be getting what they need  
Where's mine/

If I was able to tell everyone... I'd be, like, a celebrity, or something. Everybody'd like me a lot more. Not that they didn't already. But even more! I might even get some offers to become a pro skateboarder! That'd be the bomb!

/'Cause you're what I need so very

But I'm anything but ordinary/

But I couldn't tell everyone. Barely anyone. But I had known Rose for a while. I could trust her. That's why I had to tell her.

/Can you save me from this world of mine?

Before I get myself arrested with this expectation/

The final night of the Ski Trip, off I went. To make my move. Spud and Trixie, they told me that Rose couldn't be trusted. They even said that Rose was the Huntsgirl- my arch enemy! But I couldn't believe them. I wouldn't. What did they know, anyway?

/You are the one/

But how could I have known? That my two best friends- they were right all along?

/Look what you've done

What have you done/

This had basically broke my heart. How was I to tell her now? When I knew that her destiny... was to kill me?

/This is not a joke

You're just a kid

You weren't ready for what you did, no./

But part of me was like, it wasn't her fault. How could she have known that her almost-boyfriend was the one that she was destined to slay?

/I think I'm trying to save the world for you  
You've been saving me, too.  
We could just stay in and save each other/

I actually thought it was my fault. My fault that I was a dragon. That she had to slay me. I still wanted to be there for her... and I was almost sure she was the same way. But I knew that I couldn't do that. Unless if...

/I'm anything but ordinary/

I was anything but ordinary. But not anymore. It was at that point that I decided,

I would no longer be the American Dragon.

END CHAPTER

Okay, so there it is. The prologue. I hope you liked it. Now, this story won't be updated for a while- probably a LOOONG time. But here's a preview.

Jake was sick of it all. Now he knew that Rose was Huntsgirl. He still loved her... but he couldn't. They were enemies. That's when Jake decided to cease to be the American Dragon. No more magical stuff. No more even using his dragon powers. He was done with it. He didn't think about what effect it'd have on his Grandpa. But they'd just have to find a new American Dragon. It was then that he was visited by a past dragon- not his Grandpa, but the ghost of one. And in an A Christmas Carol-esque twist, he is able to experience what life would've been like- without him as the American Dragon. This Summer (or Fall... or Winter... or whenever the hell I get around to it...), look for YFWE's newest offering, "Ordinary".

Ok, that's it. If you kinda recognized a similarity to that of a certain part of Spiderman 2, well... this song was from the movie's soundtrack, so yeah. Okay, tell me what you think. Peace.

YFWE


	2. Chapter 1

Wow, this fic is actually getting updated. Well, everyone voted over at DIP and Hippie Burger, and no. 3 has won. So everything will be updated simultaneously... beginning with this one. If you have yet to read the prologue, don't worry. It's not all that vital to this fic. It just states, basically, what will be going on. So... this fic will have shorter chapters, as will my other new ones, so that I can update as much as possible. DIP, however, will keep its length. Now, reviewers.

Frzee: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. But how could you not like Train? They're just so... cool! But whatever. Thanks for reviewing!

Christian: Here ish the update. Hope you like it!

Ok, let's get it on.

Ordinary:Ch. 1

YFWE

Jake Long was just about as upset and confused as one person could ever be. Here he was, returning to school for the first time after the Ski Trip. And he had just discovered that the girl that he loved most- Rose... she was, in reality, the enemy. Although she, obviously, knew nothing about it.

How could she? She had no clue as to the identity of the dragon that she faced time and time again. She did not know the identity of the dragon that had kept her uncle from resurrecting past Huntsmasters to eliminate all dragons. She didn't know the identity of the dragon... who had saved her from almost certain death at the ski trip. She didn't know that one of her best friends... was also one of her greatest enemies.

Unfortunately for Jake, he did know this.

He was that dragon. The one that time and time again foiled the Huntsclan's evil plans. It had been a great job. A great thing to do. That is, until he found out the news. That Rose was the enemy. Jake sighed, looking toward the sky. Why? Why was he destined to be the American Dragon?

Why him?

(End)

Rose was a little moody as well as she walked to school that morning. There were many feelings. Feelings of confusion. Feelings of denial. To name a few.

This all had resulted from the school ski trip that had occurred the previous weekend. The American Dragon... it had followed her to the ski resort. Of all places, he had followed her to the school ski trip.

Why had he been there? She had been ordered to capture the Abominable Snowman... maybe the dragons had been tipped off by someone that they were going to do this. It was possible, and he had stopped her. But there was one thing. One thing that happened that weekend that she couldn't stop thinking of.

He had saved her life.

Why would he save her life? They were mortal enemies. They were supposed to hate each other. They wanted to kill each other.

At least Rose did.

But after that happened, after the dragon had not only spared her when he had her cornered, but had actually saved her from death, she wasn't so sure about him.

Did the dragon actually love her?

That couldn't be right. Rose wouldn't accept it. The dragon was her enemy. After all the times they had fought... there was no way he could feel even an ounce of compassion for her.

But he had saved her. And to boot, even if this dragon did like her, it wouldn't matter. Nothing would change. She already had someone she loved, and he loved her.

Or so she thought.

Rose had wanted to spend time with Jake on the ski trip! Honest! But she couldn't. Brad... he had never let his eyes off her the whole time. Whenever she wanted to talk to Jake, Brad showed up and pulled her away. But by the end of the trip, she was ready to get with him. She had gone back to his seat on the bus... and asked if she could sit with him, after apologizing for not spending time with him.

But he had said the seat was taken.

But was that exactly true? Rose believed him, thinking it might have been for Spud, but when he looked back mid-ride, Jake was still the only one in the seat.

Was he mad at her? She sure hoped not. She decided that today, at school, she was going to once again attempt to confront him.

(End)

"Jake! Hey!", Rose called in the hallway after their first period class that day.

Jake had been at his locker, talking with Trixie and Spud. When he heard her voice, his immediate reaction was to look up and smile. But then he remembered. Actually, he had never forgotten.

Rose was Huntsgirl, his enemy. And he still could not get over it- so much that he could not even look her in the eye.

"Uh oh, Jakey. Here she comes again. Y' might wanna hide", said Trixie, pointing toward the approaching Rose.

And that is what Jake wanted to do. But for some reason, he could not bring himself to do this. Was it because he still loved her? But how could he love someone that wanted to slay him?

"Jake, I gotta talk to you!", she said when she caught up to him.

He looked back at Trixie, wondering what she thought he should do.

She just shrugged her shoulders.

"Um... yeah, I guess. But could we make it quick?", he asked.

"No problem! We have the same class together next, remember?"

"Yeah."

(End)

"Jake... I just wanted to say I'm sorry- again", apologized Rose, "I really wanted to spend time with you, but..."

"Hey, like you said... you were busy", Jake muttered, "There was nothing you could do..." What he had just said had more meaning than he originally thought.

"Jake. What's wrong? Are you still mad?", Rose wondered aloud. She reached out to touch his arm.

But Jake pulled away, "I'm alright! Really!", he yelled, so loud that everyone that happened to be in the hallway turned toward them. Knowing he'd been a little to loud, Jake quieted his voice and returned to his conversation with Rose. "Rose... I really am okay. I think..." He looked her in the eyes, the first time he'd done so that day. It was then he remembered why he'd fallen in love with her to begin with. Her eyes... her blue eyes... they were so beautiful. It was right then and there that he made up his mind. To do something he didn't think he was going to do. Something that could quite possibly get him killed.. "Rose...", he said, "Could I meet you after school? At Mambo's down the street? I have something to tell you..."

END CHAPTER

Ok! So what's he gonna do? If you don't know, you obviously haven't seen the Ski Trip episode. That's all I'll say. ;)

So... this was the first new update. The chapters will usually be longer than this. So now I have a question for you all.

I wanna know- what fic does everyone want updated next?

The next update will be in my "Golfing in the Streets" X-Men Evo fic. And this Sunday, I'll be at camp. (Which sucks, cause I wanted to get DIP's new chapter up on the 27th since that's the fic's 2 month anniversary. ) I'll be gone for a really, really, REALLY long time. (I mean... camp is over on Thursday, but then I'm back in Michigan to see if any more of my neighbor's cars implode.) I could be gone for a good 2-3 weeks. During which time I won't be able to update, obviously, because I'm not rich like MegalaManiacoftheNorth's family and I don't have a laptop! So I will be able to read your reviews (since I have access to a computer there, just not typing), and I will likely come back with new chapters for every fic. Then I will begin on whatever one everyone voted for. So vote, and remember your vote counts! If you don't like it that I'm updating DIP instead of something else, you shoulda voted! IF you did, then it's likely your choice was overruled. So, look for an GITS (heh... funny acronym) update, and then I'll see all of y'all a while after. (But THEN, I have band camp. Damn, this sucks.) Plz vote! Bye!

YFWE


	3. Chapter 2

Well, here we are again with a new update by me. This is actually the first fic I am writing while I am on vacation, because it's pretty much the easiest. So, after I finish this one, I will move to working on "Stuck in a Moment". And then, DIP. The Hippie Burger fic I had been doing is currently on hiatus, until further notice, so sorry for anyone who liked that fic. Hopefully, it'll be back soon. Okay, reviewers.

Coolgirlc: Thanks a lot!

IndependentGirl: What will they think? Guess you'll have to keep reading. Mwahaha I'm so evil.

Nekoinuhanyou: Here's the update!

KrazieShadowNinja: Please don't strangle me for not updating DIP first, because I do what I want:D If you wanna tell me that joke, you can.

Rose Long: Thanks for reviewing! Here's the new chapter. And I like to place my cliffhangers, when I use them, in evil places. Cause I am evil. Mwahaha.

Matt: Is it a good career move? We'll hafta find out later. Maybe he'll turn evil, like me. Mwahaha.

Herbal Essence: Maybe I won't... b/c I am evil! Mwahaha. J/k, here's the update!

EvilAngelofDarkness: You're evil too? Mwahaha. Here's the update!

CelloSolo2007: If you tell me what to do again, I'll hit you with your cello. For I am evil! Mwahaha. Just kidding, as always. Thanks for reviewing, and welcome back!

Ok, let's get it started.

Ordinary: Ch. 2

YFWE

This was it. The moment of truth. For the second time in a week, he was going to try it.

Jake was going to tell Rose that he was a dragon.

And it, of course, wouldn't be easy.

But was it ever?

The time and place was set. Jake would meet Rose at Mambo's, a small pizzeria not far from the school. Their meeting would be after school.

It almost seemed too easy.

But he knew that it wouldn't be.

This was because Rose was Huntsgirl. And she was supposed to be his enemy.

She would kill him.

Maybe.

It was possible.

But then again...

Jake sat in his final class of the day, in deep thought, imagining what could happen.

She wouldn't kill him.

She loved him.

Or did she?

It was all a question in the sense of their relationship. Did she like him? Or love him?

That was probably what it'd come down to.

But she wouldn't kill him.

She wouldn't kill someone she knew.

But what if...

What if she did?

What if her orders got in the way?

What if it didn't matter to her?

What if...

(End)

The spot was handpicked by Jake, of course. For he was the first one there. He chose a table at the restaurant toward the back. No one ever sat back there, although Jake felt it was the most romantic spot there. Go figure.

But this was no time for romance.

This was the time for truth.

The plan was simple. She would sit down. They would order. They'd eat. The check would come. And then...

Then...

...there it would be.

Jake's chance. The chance to tell her everything.

Just as she had told her, although unintentionally.

The door opened.

Here she came.

Get ready, Jake.

It's about to begin...

(End)

"Jake, hi", Rose greeted him when she reached their back table, "Why are we sitting all the way back here? There were tables in the front."

"Oh, uh...", Jake tried to bring forth his normal attitude, "Oh... ya see, the Mackdaddy Jake figured that you would want the... the... most romantic spot here!" It had worked. Sort of.

Rose shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever. Fine with me." She sat down across from him. "I've never been here before. Is it nice?"

Jake smiled. "Only the best for you, Rose."

She smiled.

He smiled back.

This was going great.

So far...

(End)

The food was great, that much could be said for it. The two talked the whole time, Rose bringing up most of the conversations. Jake tried to go along with it, trying to hide his emotions. Dreading the moment when...

"Your check", their waiter laid a slip of paper on their table, turned, and walked away.

Rose began digging in her purse to find her billfold. But Jake stopped her, putting his hand in hers. "I'll pay for it."

"Wow. Five dollars. Big spender." Rose sarcastically noted.

Jake winced sheepishly, "You're welcome..." He set the money on the check. "Rose..."

Go on, make your move.

"Rose, I..."

What're you waiting for?

"Yes, Jake?"

Come on, you're stalling! Do it already!

"I wanted to tell you..."

Tell her what?

"Something."

That's the best you can do? Tell her what.

"Yes? What is it?"

"I'm... I'm..."

Yes... yes, you're getting there...

"I'm a..."

One more word, one more...

Then the unthinkable happened.

RRIIINNGG! Rose's cell phone went off.

"Oh, come on! Sorry, Jake. This'll just take a sec." She got up and headed toward the bathrooms to answer her call.

Jake sighed. He'd come so close...

You talked too slow. You gotta hurry it up!

"I know, I know...", Jake said to himself.

Rose came back in a few moments later. "Jake, I'm so, so sorry! I gotta leave. Some family thing just came up, and..."

"... say no more, say no more. It's cool", replied Jake. It had to be something with the Huntsclan, no less.

"Yeah... you were about to tell me something, though. Could I call you later?", she asked.

"No prob", he sighed.

"Thanks! See ya later!" Rose thanked him, and soon enough she was out the door.

Jake was still for a moment, and promptly slammed his head on the table. The glasses and plates shook as he did so.

Everyone stared his way. Smirking in embarrassment, he slowly got up and headed to the bathroom.

Once inside, he went over to the sink and splashed a whole bunch of hot water on his face. He had actually intended for it to be cold, but apparently this section of town didn't get cold water easily.

He looked up in the mirror, his face dripping of water, "Jake!", he said to his reflection, "This is getting old. What do you think?"

Of course, he wouldn't be able to reply back, but even if he could, he wouldn't because just then a messenger fairy appeared before his eyes.

"Message from Lao Shei. Sign here", he said.

As he signed, Jake said, "Y'know, couldn't ya have waited until I was outside? There is a such thing as privacy, you know."

"Sorry. This letter was urgent. I was supposed to give it to you at all costs" He gave him an envelope and flew away.

"Whatever...", Jake opened it up. Grandpa's face appeared as a hologram above it.

"Jake! A safe house that had been housing centaurs is in danger! We need to protect it before the Huntsclan arrives."

"That must've been why Rose left...", Jake wondered aloud, "Okay, Gramps. Be right there."

He, too, left the restaurant, hoping to make this as quick as he planned on trying to tell Rose once again that he was a dragon.

Once and for all.

He wouldn't show himself there in the fight; even if Rose stopped fighting, the Huntsmaster wouldn't. So he'd wait.

But waiting sucks.

END CHAPTER

Doesn't that last line just about sum up my updates? "Waiting sucks". Sometimes it takes me forever to update a fic, doesn't it? Anyway... next new update will be soon, in "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of." I may also add a new thing soon, called "Songs about Jake- A Collection of Songfics." It'll be a collection of ADJL songfics, and the first one will be "In Loving Memory" by Alter Bridge. So until then, see you all later/soon! Please read and review!

YFWE

who laughed quite hard when he saw Michael Moore on the front page of the Traverse City, Michigan newspaper on Sunday, July 3.


	4. Fate

Ok, updating by demand of atomic-star, here is the new chapter of "Ordinary"/ Not much to say, so let's cut to the chase. Atomic-star, hope this was in time. If not, sorry. I was gone all Wednesday, the day I finally read your review.

Reviewers

dragongirl555: Ok! Thanks for reviewing.

CelloSolo2007: Don't worry, I won't hit you with your cello. Maybe something else that doesn't cost 1,100 and I can buy at Family Dollar. Hmm... Juicy Fruit::throws Juicy Fruit, and you catch it: Damnit.

KrazieShadowNinja: I love Traverse City. I was there for the National Cherry Festival. GO CHERRIES! That joke was kinda funny... I mean, I actually got it, so... yeah. The Cheeseburger song is from Veggie Tales, isn't it? I'm gonna post the lyrics cause I'm bored and stuff.

He said to her, "I'd like a cheeseburger. And I might like a milkshake as well."  
She said to him, "I can't give you either."  
He said, "Isn't this Burger Bell?"  
She said," Yes it is but we're closed now but we open tomorrow at 10"  
He said, " I am extremely hungry but I guess I can wait until then"

CHORUS:  
'Cause you're his cheeseburger  
His yummy cheeseburger  
He'll wait for yo-u, yeah,  
He will wait for yo-u  
Oh, you are his cheeseburger  
His tasty cheeseburger  
He'll wait for yo-u  
Oh he will wait for you

He stayed at the drive-through till sunrise  
He may have dozed off once or twice  
When he spotted a billboard for Denny's-  
Bacon and Eggs for half price  
How could he resist such an offer?  
He really needed something to munch  
Cheeseburger please do not get angry (Don't get angry)  
He'll eat and be back here for lunch

CHORUS:  
'Cause you're his cheeseburger  
His precious cheeseburger  
Be back for yo-u,He'll be back for yo-u  
Won't be so long cheeseburger  
Oh lovely cheeseburger  
Be back for yo-u  
Oh he'll be back for you

Because he loves you cheeseburger with all his heart  
And there ain't nothin' gonna tear you tw-o apart  
And if the world suddenly ran out of cheese  
He would get down on his hands and knees  
To see if someone accidentally dropped some cheese in the dirt  
And he would wash it off for you  
Wipe it off for you  
Clean that dirty cheese off JUST FOR YOU!

Yay cheeseburgers.

Oh, and JD and Steven sing that, too? SO DO I! BEHIND THESE HAZEL EYES! (I can't sing either. Later!

Atomic-star: Really hope this was in time. If it wasn't, I'm sorry. Thanks for reviewing.

Ordinary Ch. 3: Fate

YFWE

The safe house where the centaurs were being hidden was not in the Magical Village, as one might expect. Rather, it happened to be in the northern section of New York City, a good deal from Jake's location at that point in time.

"DRAGON UP!", he yelled once he was outside the restaurant, and he became a dragon and soared toward the house.

Would he be able to fight Rose?

That was his main question now.

He'd never thought of it before.

He hadn't fought the Huntsclan since... it was before the Ski Trip, although he had obviously had a run-in with the Huntsgirl there.

But the last time, he hadn't known that Rose was Huntsgirl. Until now.

Could he bring himself to fight her?

He'd have to. If he refused, Grandpa would suspect that something was up.

"They were right...", he repeated.

They had been right. Trixie and Spud. Why hadn't he listened to them? Why hadn't he listened when they told him that Rose was Huntsgirl?

Was it fate?

Fate- was it the reason Jake ventured out into the cold blizzard that night to follow her?

Had fate been a factor when Jake was caught in one of Huntsgirl's traps, only to easily break free?

Was fate the answer to why Jake had discovered on his own that Huntsgirl and Rose were the same person?

If all that was fate, then...

...then could it be possible that Jake's fate was to...

No, it couldn't be.

He'd already thought of it... it'd never work.

But maybe it would.

'Cause it was fate.

No matter what the circumstances could be, Jake was going to tell Rose his secret tonight.

END CHAPTER.

Yeah, I can't believe it either. Me, YFWE, writing such a short chapter as this? Well, I wanted to try and get it up for atomic-star. Hope it was in time. The next chapter of this fic will be not next week, but the week after. I'll tell you why in my DIP update sometime before Sunday.

Oh, and also I am hereby suspending my fic "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of", as I have lost interest in it, and want a break. It might be back soon, but until then...

My Hippie Burger fic will be back soon! Yay! Once again, an update week after next. Oh, and also look for a crazy new fic sometime called "Crazy Good", which is a combination of ADJL and Pop Tarts!

May the force be with Condoleeeeeeza Rice,

YFWE


	5. Chapter 4

Hey, I'm back, everyone! I heard some of you thought I fell off the face of the earth. The truth is, I did. But then I teleported back, 'cause that's how I roll. (Oh, and I guess that Condoleeza Rice helped out a little as well.) In reality, I was at band camp. So...yeah, that's it.

REVIEWERS:

atomic-star: Coolness. Glad it was in time. And don't worry, this fic won't go on hold anytime soon.

Fudogg: Thanks a lot!

EvilAngelOfDarkness: Here is the update! Thanks for reviewing!

KrazieShadowNinja: Ok. I'z be starting to get freaked out here. Yes, I know the Bubblegum song. Only we say 'Boomba, some Jiggly jiggly Boomba'. Not sure what that means, but whatever. Oh, and the Baby Shark song's cool too. Oh, and why don't you like your name? When your friend Kevin reviewed a fic... think Lavenderpaw's... he said it. I don't think it's that bad...

Lavenderpaw: Glad you liked it so far. ANd it won't always be this emotional. Just right now it is.

MegaLaManiacoftheNorth: Damn, do you know how hard it is to type that? And please don't kill me. People with sugar problems need serious help. :sits and waits for the sugar junkies to come attack me:

I love Beck! Here we go.

Ordinary: Ch.4

YFWE

"Dragon", the Huntsmaster muttered as he watched Grandpa soar towards him. The Huntsclan simply wanted to search this house they were at to see if there were any magical creatures being housed there. This region had been known for doing these types of things- housing magical beings, that is. It was comparable to the Underground Railroad during the US Civil War.

"Huntsmaster! You get away from this house! Humans live here!", Grandpa yelled.

"Ah, dragon master. Do you honestly believe I would put a human's life at stake?"

"Yes", breathed Grandpa.

"For your information, dragon, the humans that supposedly live here are gone on vacation- they left this morning. And furthermore, we have checked every home on this block- except this one. And neither you nor the American Dragon stopped me before... until we reached this one. So answer me this, old man- What is in this house?"

"I have no clue what you are speaking of. I did not want you harming innocent civilians."

"Is that so?", the Huntsmaster smiled wryly. He snapped his fingers, and a group of about 10 identically-dressed Huntsclan members appeared on either side of the Huntsmaster "Then I guess I will have to go in anyway- check things out?", he grinned, "Finish him."

The army of Huntsclan ninjas leapt toward Grandpa, who was clearly outnumbered. And to add to it all, Jake still had yet to arrive.

(End)

The Huntsmaster ran inside the normal-sized, two-story home, meeting Huntsgirl beside a door that either led upstairs or into a basement. "Huntsgirl, we do not have much time. Although I have trained the other members well, they are nowhere near ready to face off against a dragon- even if they outnumber it greatly. They can hold it off- but only for a small time." He looked at the door, "Where does this lead?"

"Downstairs", replied Huntsgirl, "The basement. The door was locked, so we have yet to go down yet."

"That so?", asked Huntsmaster, "Okay then. This should not be too much of a problem." He held up his staff, powered it up, and shot a relatively-smaller-than-normal blast of energy at the door. With little resistance, it splintered and fell in pieces to the ground.

"Easy", Huntsmaster said reassuringly. "Now quick. Let's go."

(End)

Down the stairs they went, searching for a lightbulb or something to use to see. It was pitch black down there, and the staircase was pretty narrow to boot. But when Huntsgirl reached the foot of the stairs, she felt a small silky object brush across her face. At first she thought it was a spider web, but upon thinking a little more, she realized that it could be. Searching for it again, she found it, and pulled.

A small, yet bright, lightbulb blinked on.

"Bingo", she grinned, and the Huntsmaster joined her.

The basement didn't seem to be much of a place. In fact, there seemed to be nothing down there.

"Uncle, it seems that there isn't anything here", Huntsgirl said, and then quietly added, "As it has been with every other place we've searched." Obviously, she was still a little miffed at her uncle for making her leave her date with Jake early.

"Yes, it seems that you are...", he stopped mid-sentence, and the room became deafly silent.

"What is it?"

"Shh! I think I heard something."

Huntsgirl hadn't. But then again, her uncle had always claimed that he had really good hearing.

The Huntsmaster slowly crept over to the left of them, until he was inches away from the stone wall. "It came from in here."

Huntsgirl snickered, "I think you're hearing things. There's nothing there but a wall. Let's just get outta here, and..."

"Nonsense", Huntsmaster stopped her. He held up his staff once more and aimed it carefully at the wall. Energy flew at the wall again and, upon impact, kicked up a whole lot of dust.

But when the dust settled, there sat another room. And inside it sat four humans.

A man, two women, and a young girl. And they all looked absolutely shocked to see two ninjas standing before them. Especially since there had previously been no way to get in there. Come to think of it... how had they gotten in there in the first place?

"Greetings", Huntsmaster started, "I am a member of the Huntsclan. We are patrolling this area for any magical creatures. Do you know of any in the area?"

The man slowly shook his head, eyes wide.

"No? Okay. Well, I think we'll be off. Oh", he looked back at them, "Any reason that you all would be hiding in a sealed-off room?"

"No..."

"Is that right?" Huntsmaster walked over to the man, who seemed to be shaking with fear, "Looks to me as if you might be hiding something."

"No!"

"Huntsgirl, please come here", he motioned to her, and once she was by his side, he whispered, "Please get out the Eye of Zarthon."

Huntsgirl obeyed, reaching into the knapsack-like object around Huntsmaster's waist and pulled a small, sphere-shaped piece of metal. She handed it to him.

"Thank you", he turned back to the man, "See this? This is the Eye of Zarthon. Do you know what it does?"

"No. Please, sir, my family and I would like to..."

"I'll show you then", Huntsmaster shook the Eye and a glowing red light came on in it. A piercing laser of red light shot at the man. As if it was a scanner of sorts, it touched every spot of his body.

And then Huntsgirl gasped.

For there, in place of the man, was a centaur.

It looked just like the human, except for the half-horse thing.

"Excellent...", the Huntmaster chuckled.

(End)

All this time, Jake had been nearing the house. And now he had, and upon arrival, he saw his Grandpa, in dragon form as well, finishing off the last of a few Huntsclan ninjas. Great. The Huntsclan was here. That meant Rose was.

"Jake!", Grandpa greeted him, "Hurry! I fear that we do not have much time. For all we know, the Huntsmaster could have reached the centaurs by now."

"Are you saying that this is my fault?", Jake somehow seemed a little offended by that.

"Of course I am not! I am just worried. Let's go!"

They flew to the ground, reverted back to human, and quickly ran inside.

When they saw the splintered door that led to the basement, they morphed back to dragon and headed down there, as they were not stupid and knew the Huntsmaster's trail when they saw it.

They got to the bottom of the stairs, to see a large hole in the wall, and four centaur sitting dormant in nets. Huntsclan nets. But where was the Huntsmaster and Huntsgirl?

"Dragons", Huntsmaster said shortly.

They spun around. There stood Huntsmaster and Huntsgirl, glaring at them.

"Glad you could join us. But this isn't your business. These centaur were being hidden in a location of the Magical Village. That means that they are _our _business."

"'Fraid not", Jake snarled, "Anything involving defenseless magical creatures and the Huntsclan IS our business." He lunged at the Huntsmaster. And with this, the battle was on.

"Not so fast, dragon boy", Huntsgirl stepped in front of him, "You're mine."

"Man...", Jake sighed to himself. Could he bring himself to fight Rose?

"You're on, but mind if we take it outside? Little cramped in here."

"Whatever. See you out there", she used her staff to teleport outside,

"Okay", Jake said to himself, "If I can bring myself to actually hit her or something, I may be able to stop her long enough to tell her who I really am." He nodded to himself in confidence and headed up the stairs to meet her.

He hadn't been outside two seconds when he was slammed into by a flying kick from the Huntsgirl. He staggered back, but the blow hadn't been too hard, and he regained his composure with ease.

"Yo, babe! Watch out!", he flew toward her, knocking her to the ground. _Yes, _he thought, _Here's my chance._ He slowly walked over to her landing spot. "Hey, I..."

She grunted and got up to his eye level (which was a little difficult), "Why didn't you finish me when you had the chance just now? Bad move, dragon boy." She brought her arm back, and before Jake had any time to react, he was blindsided by her staff.

And that's when he blacked out.

(End)

It was about fifteen minutes before Jake regained consciousness. It had gotten a bit darker outside, and there was no Huntsgirl in sight. In fact, there seemed to be no one in sight. Wait... there was his Grandpa. In the sky, yonder about a mile. Where was he headed? And why didn't he wake Jake?

But that wasn't really what was on Jake's mind at that point.

Once again, he had tried and failed to tell Rose that he was the American Dragon.

He was beginning to think that it may never happen. That he would never be able to tell her. He'd tried so many times, and had failed so many times.

Was there any solution?

He still loved her.

But she couldn't possibly love him if he was her enemy.

Enemies couldn't be lovers. It would never work.

There seemed to be only one way out of this.

It was something that he knew shouldn't be done.

But it seemed to be the only way.

A light rain had begun to sprinkle on the pavement around him as he slowly stood up. He took another look in the direction he had seen Grandpa leaving. But he wouldn't go with him. Never again. From that day forward...

"I don't want to be the American Dragon any more!", Jake cried out. "I'm through! No more!"

_Is this what you want?_

END CHAPTER

Sorry I had to end it there. I know many people hate cliffies. I, on the other hand, love them to death. So, hope you all liked the new chapter! Please review! And everyone keep updating your fics, 'cause I love reading them! Later!

YFWE aka Walmart Gangsta


	6. Chapter 5

Heyo everyone. Since I am continuing to have some problems with getting a storyline for the new chapter of DIP, I guess I'll update this one again. Thanks for all the positive reviews- from here and the ADJL Fan Forums both. You guys rock! And...

REVIEWERS

Lavenderpaw: Cliffies rock my socks. Except when I have no socks on. Then... Anyway, can he flee his position? We shall see...

KrazieShadowNinja: Michelle is honestly not that bad of a name. I've heard worse! DIP may be updated eventually. I like this fic more right now. Have fun at band camp! Which reminds me, I need to put a "One time at band camp..." Joke in DIP. Later!

MegaLaManiacoftheNorth: Love cliffies, like I said. They're really the only ideal way I can find to end a chapter- unless its DIP, in which I usually end it with something about Michael Jackson or AOL protecting you against identity theft.

CelloSolo2007: Yes I is back. Now will you stop hugging me? Please? Hey! Stop! Aah::pops:

Heh, that was a phony balloon version of me. I keed, I keed!

Dragongirl5555: Thanks a lot!

So... who was the voice at the very end of last chapter? Let's find out, shall we?

Ordinary: Ch. 5

YFWE

_Is this what you want?_

"What?", Jake opened his eyes and looked around. He'd heard... someone... but he didn't see anyone. "Who's there?"

_Is this what you want?_

"Look, I don't have time for this. What I want? Want what? Listen, I'm done with all this magical stuff, if that's what you are."

_Do you want it to end?_

"End what?"

_I can make it happen..._

And finally, there was some sort of activity around Jake. At first, it was a small blue orb floating in mid-air. But then the orb became larger, and it took a form. What appeared to be a human form.

_Hello, Jake._

When the light faded, a tall, Asian man wearing a flowing blue robe stood before him. The man held a large sphere-like object under his arm. And he was smiling slightly.

"Who... are you?", Jake asked, bewildered, "And how do you know my name?"

_Hm. I know much more about you than your name._

Jake was hearing this man talk to him... but his mouth wasn't moving. Almost as if he was talking to Jake in his thoughts.

_Allow me to introduce_ _myself. I am Chiang Minh, once a respectable leader of the rights and interests of dragons in China._

"Really? Do you know my Grandpa?"

_Lao Shei? Yes, I know of him. Actually, he was a young dragon himself when I was in power._

"Ok, dude. I guess that's cool, but if you're looking for my Grandpa, he went that way", Jake pointed back towards the city, "'cause I'm not a dragon anymore. That's my Grandpa's job now."

_Not a dragon, eh? _

The man set his large object on the ground, and raised his arms toward Jake. His fingertips glowed, and before long, Jake was glowing slightly as well.

"What're you... hey!", Jake brought his hands before his face and watched as they twisted into sharp red claws. "Stop it!", he yelled as he suddenly increased greatly in size and his face elongated into a long dragon snout.

_You look like a dragon to me._

"Yo! Stop that!", yelled Jake, as he tried to revert back to human, and eventually succeeded, "Stop messin' with me! I'm not your puppet or something!"

_I am fully aware of that, Jake. All I was showing you..._

He walked over to Jake, who put his arms in front of him, as if he believed he could somehow counter another spell from Chiang.

_...was that although you may not want to believe it, you are a dragon, Jake. And not just any dragon- the American Dragon._

"Do you think I had a choice?", Jake asked, "Becoming a dragon just happened. It's not like I wanted it to happen."

_Oh really?_

Chiang picked that sphere object again, pressed something, and he appeared to go into a deep trance.

"Uh... hello?", Jake wasn't sure exactly what to do. In fact, he had just about decided to high-tail it out of there before the sphere shot a green laser-like beam of light directly at his forehead, and he too fell into the same trance.

Jake was no longer in the middle of London Street. He was staring at... himself. And his Grandpa. Jake thought he looked a little younger than he was now- maybe a year younger. And Grandpa spoke...

"Jake, do you accept the responsibilities of the American Dragon? Do you promise to protect all magical creatures not only in New York City, but the entire United States (but mostly NYC)?", he asked.

And without hesitation, Jake said...

"Totally, Grandpa! You don't even have to ask! How could I say no?"

It was a flashback... and now it was ending, as little by little, that scene disappeared and Jake found himself on the pavement with Chiang once more.

_Sounds like you had a choice. _

"Okay, okay, so maybe I did", admitted Jake, "But that was then... and now I'm tired of being it! It's just messing with my life! I wonder...", his eyes searched the ground, "If I was better off to never be a dragon. If my family was just normal- with the exception of Grandpa, that is- would we be better off?"

"I'm sick of lying to Rose. I hate it when I have to fight Huntsgirl, knowing who she is and barely bringing myself to do so."

"I'm tired of missing out on time to hang out with my friends. Once, I remember that I said that I wanted to learn to be a pro skateboarder. I was gonna start when I was 13."

"That never worked out, because of all this. I don't think my relationship with Trixie and Spud suffered any- especially when they discovered my secret. But still... it could be better."

"And most of all...", Jake continued, "I don't like lying to my dad. I never wanted to keep secrets with anyone- especially with him. But being... this... I have to. I have to lie to a lot of people."

"So what if I wasn't a dragon? Grandpa could manage without me, couldn't he? They could find another American Dragon, right?"

_You still haven't answered my question._

"What's that?"

_Is this what you want?_

He thought about it for the longest time, before replying, "Yes. More than anything right now, this is what I want."

But then he felt as if he was being lifted up and off the ground. And upon looking down, he realized that he was.

He looked over to see Chiang floating beside him.

_Then I shall grant your wish. But first, follow me. I want to show you something._

"What's that? Could we stop with the floating?"

_I will now take you to a separate dimension. It will be much like this world... and much unlike. Not much will have changed, but some things will have. Jake..._

_I will now show you a world without you as the American Dragon._

END CHAPTER

Hey hey, end of chapter. So, what will this alternate world be like? Will it be the same, but if not, what things will have changed? And who is this Chiang Minh? And how did he know Grandpa? Find out next chapter! Later, all!

YFWE


	7. Chapter 6

Wow. Thanks for the awesome response to this fic so far, everyone! Eight reviews last chapter, that's the best I've ever done, even better than DIP, which is my most popular (or lately, my second most popular). It's the reviews that keep me going, so thanks everyone!

Reviewers

KrazieShadowNinja: My band camp lasts a week, but we went away to a local university. Then, we have practices up until the end of football season. And I've never heard of anyone named Waldina. 

CelloSolo2007: This story is weird? Well, yeah! I'm a weird person, so it all fits in at the end. I mean, I walk around downtown Brookville handing out Happy Rocks to sad people. I think I just may be a little weird. Oh, and you got some glue in my hair. Dammit.

Fudogg: Here ish the update!

MegaLaManiacOfTheNorth: Chiang could be Grandpa's old teacher. And then again, maybe not. And, said this before, I don't think you're getting worse. Not at all.

Dragongirl555: Yeah, he is a little weird. In an earlier life, he was in Hollywood slasher movies like Psycho. (He was the stunt double)

iamkagomeiloveinuyasha: You wanna see? See what? My XXL bag of M&Ms::pulls out bag: Hahaha! I have one and none of you do::slaps KSN's hand away: No, we do not eat YFWE's XXL bag of M&Ms.

AmericanDragonFan: Thanks a lot! Here's the update!

Lavenderpaw: Yeah, they're cool. But hard to write about if you don't have the right idea on how to do 'em. Oh, and in case you didn't notice, DIP's back again:D Yayz.

So now we're going into a different dimension. Much like our own world... and much different. How so? Let's find out.

Ordinary: Ch. 6

YFWE

_I will now show you a world without you as the American Dragon._

SNAP! In a wisp of smoke, Jake felt himself... almost disappear, but then reappear seconds later.

"Aah... much better...", a voice said beside him.

"Who said that-", Jake spun around, but Chiang was the only one there.

"It was me. For some odd reason, the stench in that part of the city was so awful, I had to use telepathy so I could hold my breath", Chiang explained.

"You held your breath for that long?"

"Er- when one spends as much time alone as I do, one... uh, capitalizes on certain things."

"Okay then...", Jake looked around. He was in New York City. To be exact, he was a few blocks from his school. And amidst all the buildings, he could see the sun just barely coming over the clouds. Was it rising? Or setting? If it was rising...

"Rising. You need to get to school, I believe."

"Will you please stop reading my mind?"

"Does it bother you?"

"Yeah, just a little bit", Jake rolled his eyes. He looked at his watch. But it read 6:00 P.M. "Um... you know what time it is?"

"I believe it is 7:45 A.M., your time."

"Say what? Then that means I have 10 minutes to get to school!"

"Well, then I'd suggest that you get going."

"You know? I'm really starting to not like you...", Jake turned away and toward his school's direction, "But it's not that much of a problem. I can get there in ten. DRAGON UP!", he yelled.

And he expected himself to be a dragon after he said those words. But upon further examination of himself, he noticed that he was still human. Every part of him, in fact. He looked over to Chiang as if to ask what was going on.

"From what I've heard, you're not a dragon anymore, Jake. That means no dragon powers."

Jake growled. But Chiang was right. He slowly turned back around and began running toward school. So far, he wasn't exactly liking this new world.

And couldn't Chiang have dropped him off in a spot closer to school?

(End)

At approximately 7:54, one minute before school began, Jake sped into his first period class and sprinted to his seat. Seconds later, the bell rang.

Jake's first period class was Reading. It was taught by Ms. Nannini, who, it was said, had the world record for putting the most people to sleep during her 'rants'. She'd been teaching since Jake's dad was in school, and his dad claimed that she'd already broken the record when he was in the seventh grade- about 20 years ago. Just think of how many minds have tried to endure a long speech- and have failed.

But today... today was different.

"Heeelllllooo, class!", Ms. Nannini shouted, and somehow mustered up the strength to stand up on her desk, sending various pencils, pens, and her coffee mug flying.

"Hello, Ms. Nannini", the class replied, all but Jake. He was not used to her being so... enthusiastic. Rather, he was used to her walking in quietly, acting as if she didn't want to be there, sitting down before telling them to get their textbooks out about five minutes later.

This definitely was not the same Ms. Nannini.

Then again, this wasn't the same dimension.

But why would Jake no being the American Dragon affect the way Ms. Nannini taught?

Jake decided that it was best if he didn't think about it, and go along with the class. Maybe he could ask Trixie and Spud.

But if Ms. Nannini had changed...

Could that mean that he had new friends, not Trixie or Spud?

The anticipation grew as the class went on. And, unlike before, it actually went kinda fast. As opposed to before, when it seemed as if reading class took up half the day. (Rotwood's class being the other half)

They were reading a book by a guy named Jace Sirotka, whom Jake had heard of before. He wrote mostly sports books, and had just released a skateboarding book. But it was in pretty high demand, and Jake wasn't that much of a reader, so he figured he'd never read it.

But there before him, sat the book. Ms. Nannini was actually letting them read a book they wanted to read.

Weird, that's what this day was thus far. And Jake hadn't even completed his first period class yet.

(End)

RIINGG! End of the first class of the day. Everyone began shuffling out of the room, as Ms. Nannini called an assignment to read ahead a bit in the book for extra credit.

"Mr. Long", Jake was about to walk out when Ms. Nannini called him back.

"Um, yes?"

"Don't worry, Jake. You're not in trouble", she smiled, "I've forgotten to thank you... for all you've done for me the past few weeks."

"Huh?"

"Oh, come now, Jake. All of the help- you know, helping with the curriculum, teaching me to be a little more exciting... all those days after school that you helped me. And as you can see, all the students seem to be liking it. So thank you."

"Um... sure", mumbled Jake.

"Okay then. Next class starts soon, you'd best get going! See you after school at the skatepark!"

Jake walked out the door, bewildered. Not only had he turned Ms. Nannini into an exciting teacher, but... a skater as well? Wow. So that's what he had been doing with his spare time after school since he didn't have to train with Grandpa. Alrighty then.

"Yo, Spud!", Jake called to his friend in the hallway. Or, at least he hoped that Spud was still his friend. So many things had changed...

But fortunately, "Hey, buddy, why were you late today?", Spud asked.

"I wasn't", said Jake shortly, "I got there with a minute to spare."

"Uh... that's not what I was talking about", Spud looked over his shoulder, and his eyes widened in amazement, "This is what I'm talking about."

"Wha?', Jake whirled around, to see an amazing sight.

"Husky Molina!", he exclaimed.

The man that had been walking toward him smiled a bit. It was Husky Molina, a nationally renown skateboarder. And he was standing there before him... in their school, "Don't look so surprised to see me, Jake."

"But you're..."

"Jake, I understand that sometimes things come up that you can't avoid, but nevertheless... I told you to be here 30 minutes before school, and you never showed! I've got a busy schedule, and things like this can't be tolerated!"

"Uh... I'm sorry?", Jake, not knowing what was going on, didn't really know what to say.

"Well... I guess it's okay this time. So I'll cut you some slack and reschedule for tonight at 6 at the skatepark. Got it?"

"Um, sure."

"See you later, then. Don't be late! Or I just may have to use Ms. Nannini in your place." They looked over to see her standing outside her door, saying things like "Yo, dudes. What up with y'all?" to passing students. Believing his point was across, Husky turned and walked away.

"THAT'S what I was talking about", whispered Spud.

"So what was that all about?", Jake asked, "I mean- Husky Molina, in our school?"

"Dude", Spud looked bewildered, "What is up with you today? Did Haley put something in your coffee?"

"I don't drink coffee."

"Still... you don't remember that you had an appointment to shoot a commercial for Husky's Boards at the school today?"

"I'm... in a commercial?"

"Not unless if you show up tonight, you won't be."

"But... why would he want ME in his commercial?"

"'Cause you're the top boarder in the NYC, duh! You've won the Inter-City championships two straight years! Look, man, I dunno what's up with you today, put pull it together! We got Rotwood next class!"

Talk about things changing. Jake had only dreamt of even competing in the Inter-City championships, let alone winning. And now... because he had so much more time to spare, he had. Grinning, he took off to Rotwood's class.

(End)

It was there where Jake discovered that some things never change.

"Good morning, class", Rotwood greeted as he entered the room, "Today ve vill be doing vat ve have been doing for de last few veeks- study you, de students's choices on a certain magical creature until your presentations on your findings next Thursday. Any questions? No? Good, get going den."

As everyone else began working, Jake began to wonder what he was doing the report on. He reached into his desk, and pulled out a folder, which was headlined 'Jake Long', and then 'Dragon Project'. How ironic. He had been doing a project on dragons, when he was- or used to be- a dragon.

He opened it up, and saw a neatly typed page- no, two pages- of info on dragons.

He half expected them to be false, like Rotwood's teachings.

But to his surprise... everything was dead on! And there was a side note that read 'I think Rotwood's wrong on all this dragon stuff. I think he's been teaching us the wrong stuff. I found this info in one of my Grandpa's books, so I dunno.'

So even now, Jake felt that Rotwood was off his rocker.

Some things never change, do they?

END CHAPTER

Heh, sorry to end it there, but I have other things I'd like to work on. So then... I hope everyone liked it, and I'll update as soon as time permits. Meanwhile... my newest fic 'Rescue Me' should be updated as soon as I get ten submissions and DIP as soon as I feel like updating that one. Later, peoples!

YFWE


	8. Chapter 7

HA! You all thought this story was dead! But, alas, here it is. I apologize for not updating- I just keep pushing it into the back of my mind, being a procrastinator. But here it is, the new chapter. I know that this fic was mildly popular back when it was being updated, so I hope it retains at least some of it. I do have good news, though. I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico.

Reviewers!

CelloSolo2007: Alcohol? Because I just got my temps last Thursday, it reminds me to say: "DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE, FOOLS!"

Fudogg: Yeah, it kinda seems that way, doesn't it? But who knows? Maybe it will grow on him...

AmericanDragonFan: Yes, it is a little difficult. Especially when you have no memory of the promises you made the day before. Hehe...

MegaLaManiacoftheNorth: Bigger Mms bag? That's ok. I'm over those. I'm addicted to Sprite now.

KrazieShadowNinja: As I type, our marching band qualified for state! Yay! Now it's the concentration camp at our school. 00

ar1502599: All good questions that will be answered this chapter!

Anime Master Inu: Um... thanks, but I don't really need a tutor.

Dragongirl5555: Coo? AAH! Someone stole the 'l'! Major crisis! I need to go find it!

Alliwantislove; Thanks. Oh, and did you know that YOU had the stolen 'l'? You bad person.

FairyIcePrincessesKickButt: I plays tha trombone! Have you got your account yet? Hope you have!

Engelmohr2004: Thanks. Your name reminds me of English Muffins.

Attentionchaser: Sorry, we're out of chocolate. I put it on my english muffins.

For those who forget what has happened thus far, or to newcomers:

Jake continues to try and make his secret known to Rose. But all attempts fail, one way or another. And after one defeat, he decides that the only way he could ever have Rose is if he gives up his duties as the American Dragon.

He does so, in secret from Grandpa, and is visited by an old man that seems to somehow know his Grandpa. This man says he can make Jake's wish come true- if it is really what he wants. Jake accepts, and he and this man travel into another world- one where Jake is a normal kid without any dragon powers- but still with the memory of once having them. He heads off to school, finding that many things have changed, but some things haven't. And that brings us to this chapter!

Ordinary: ch. 7

YFWE

Rotwood's class actually seemed to go rather quickly that day. Maybe it was because in this world, Rotwood didn't hate him. Yeah, that was probably it, considering that Jake was usually reprimanded by the professor five times a class period.

But now, the class was over. Scratch that, the day was over.

And Jake had a date with destiny at 6:00.

He was actually going to be in a commercial for the skateboarding legend Husky Molina.

How could this day get better?

Rest assured, Trixie has a way to make it all go away. (Well, some of it, that is.)

"Jake! Oh, Jaaaakkeee!", she called in a singsong voice to him as soon as he left Rotwood's class and was on his way to his locker to go home.

Jake had just realized that Trixie hadn't been in his class prior. Strange- he, Trixie, and Spud had always been in the same class.

"Yo, Trix, whassup?", he asked when she reached him.

"Not you", she replied coldly, "Tell me... you have your book from Rotwood's class right now, correct?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Look in the inside cover. Whose name is on it?"

He checked. "Says... Trixie Carter..."

He was promptly smacked on the forehead by her, "I told you that you could borrow it for the night, and then you had to bring it back in the morning. Did you do it?"

"Um..."

"No. Man, Jake... you also missed your commercial with Husky! I swear... you're really off it today!"

"Sorry... things have been going on lately, and..."

"Homie, I don't even wanna hear any excuses. Just give me my book back and make sure you aren't late to Husky's gig tonight!" And with that, she turned and walked away.

Jake's forehead was throbbing now. Man, that Trixie... even in this world, she packed quite a punch.

So onward he walked, trying to avoid any other diversions as he made his way to his locker. It was 3- the thing at the skateboard park was at 6. He needed to get home and get ready.

But unfortunately, some distractions can't be avoided. Especially if they're your girlfriend.

"Jake!", he heard a voice from behind him.

It was Rose. He figured that the two were going out, but... were they really? Nothing could be taken for granted in this world.

But then, she reached him...

... and kissed him.

Yeah, I think that classifies as 'going out'.

"Haven't seen you ALL day! What's happening?", she asked, smiling.

"Uh... today's kinda weird, but it's all good", he replied.

"Cool", Rose got closer to him, "So... we still on for tonight at 6?"

"What?"

"Oh, come on, Jake! Your memory can't be THAT bad!"

"You'd be surprised..."

"Okay, okay... let me jog it for you- we have a date tonight to celebrate our two-month anniversary since we got engaged."

"Say WHAT!"

Rose snickered, "Sorry. Couldn't help myself. But seriously- we have a date tonight. At Four Seasons Restaurant! You don't remember?"

"Um... yeah, I do!", Jake lied, "But there's one problem..."

"I'm listening", Rose sounded annoyed.

"Um... you know that commercial I was supposed to do with Husky Molina? It's been moved to 6."

"Aw...", Rose sighed, "Couldn't you tell him to reschedule?"

"He's already rescheduled. This is my last chance!"

"Well.. If you're sure, we can move the date to seven..."

"Aw, thanks, Rose! You're the greatest!"

He walked toward her- and hesitated for a moment, before kissing her on the cheek.

He was all smiles as he walked out the school's front doors and right into Chiang.

"So.. How has your first five hours in this world been?", the old man asked.

"Great...", he beamed, "Just great..."

END CHAPTER

Heh, but how long will it last? Well, you'll have to read the next chapter. And in order for you to do that, I'll have to update. But until then, read and review! Later!

YFWE


	9. Chapter 8

Ok... finally decided to update this fic. Yay! So... now, Jake has this all set up... but will it work out as planned? Well...

Reviewers

TheADJL-Dp-Freakazoid: It's great talking to you on AIM, too! ;D

dragongirl5555: Assuming you meant 'cool story', I'll say thank you!

Horseluver101: Yeah, Jake's starting to figure that out. But who knows? Maybe it'll get better.

CelloSolo2007: Sorry you're having guy problems... hope they're fixed, maybe. I dunno.

MegaLaManiacoftheNorth: Look! An update within two months! Haha!

Anime Master Inu: I was pretty sure you were joking. But then again, you never know...

Let's find out, shall we?

Ordinary: Ch. 8

YFWE

5:00.

The grandfather clock in Jake's living room chimed distinctly. And, when the five chimes had sounded, you could hear the soft ticking of the clock, each tick meaning another second closer.

Closer to Jake's breakthrough moment. He would be shooting a commercial for Husky Molina, the skateboarding legend, that would be shown all throughout the country.

And to boot, he had a date with Rose at 7.

Awesome night, awesome night.

But it couldn't start yet.

Not 'til 6.

And it was 5, so at that moment, Jake was experiencing something that he rarely experienced in his normal world.

Boredom.

But boredom usually leads to sleep.

And that's exactly what Jake did.

(End)

But what is the problem with falling asleep?

Unless if someone comes and wakes you, you're not waking up until your body feels like it.

Jake's body decided it was time at, oh, about 6.

6, as in the time he had to be at the skatepark.

"Dammit!", yelled Jake as he snapped up off the couch he had been lying upon. He had luckily already been dressed for the commercial, and he had his clothes for Rose's date in his bookbag.

Grabbing his skateboard by the door, he ran outside and into the middle of the street.

He was never gonna make it. Unless if he...

"DRAGON UP!", he yelled.

Nothing.

"Oh. Duh", Jake slapped his forehead. He'd once again forgotten that he no longer had his powers. Sighing, he got on his board and sped toward the skatepark. He just hoped that Husky would still be there, and would still do the commercial.

Fortunately, he was still there when Jake entered the park.

Unfortunately, however, Husky Molina was mad as hell.

"I... tell you to... get here at 6... and what do you do?", a vein in Husky's forehead seemed as if it was about to burst, "You get here at 6:10! What's your excuse this time?"

"I... overslept."

"Sure you did. Look, I have a mind to pack up and leave right now. BUT", he seemed to be reconsidering, "Since it cost me money to come here in the first place, let's just do it and get it over with."

"Cool, thanks", Jake breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yeah... whatever", Husky said, "Now...", he took out a slip of paper from his pocket, "This is the list of tricks I want you to do for the commercial. Don't worry, there's only four."

Jake took the paper, and skimmed the tricks. His eyes widened with each trick.

"I don't know what ANY of these are!"

"Well, then it's time you learned", Husky laughed. "Over there's my trainer, Travis 'The Man' Mann. He'll teach you them. I dunno how long you'll be here tonight... depends on if you're a fast learner or not..."

(End)

Jake was released at 7:15. So for the second time that night, Jake was late to a date. This time, for Rose's.

But knowing Rose, he was pretty sure that she would be more forgiving and understanding than Husky was.

Still, there was always that chance.

Jake had thoughts such as this the whole trip to Four Seasons. He had changed his clothes at the skatepark's restroom, which has been rated the worst public restroom in New York by the New York Times three years straight.

Soon enough, though, Jake got to the restaurant. He went inside, and went up to the head waiter with the reservation book.

"Um... 'scuse me, sir, but I have reservations under 'Long'?"

"Long? Ah, yes, someone was already here under that name."

"Rose, I'm guessing", Jake smiled. But his grin soon faded, "Wait... what do you mean by 'was'?"

"She left, that's what I mean."

Jake sighed, and slapped himself again. Great. Rose had bailed.

"But... it was not because you were late.."

"Hm?"

"She got a phone call from someone. Family member, I guess. Urgent. So she had to leave. She told me to tell you that she was sorry she had to leave, and that it wasn't because you were late."

"Really...", Jake was relieved, in a sense. He was a little upset that she had to leave. On the other hand, he was glad that it wasn't because of him.

"Mr. Long, if you would like a refund of your money, or if you would like your reservations moved to a different night, we may do that..."

"Um... yeah, money back'd be nice, thank you."

Jake got the money, thanked the waiter, and began to stroll home.

It wasn't what he had wanted.

But hey, at least he'd gotten the commercial done.

(End)

He was nearing his home, when he passed his Grandpa's shop.

Grandpa...

It made him wonder, what was his Grandpa doing nowadays?

He was still a dragon, right?

Jake decided to go in and have a little visit with him.

He was surprised to find that the door, although not wide open, had been open.

And inside...

Inside, it was even stranger.

Everything was a wreck.

Tables and chairs overturned...

Clothes and other things laying all over the floor.

It looked as if there had been a fight there.

But who?

The Huntsclan?

"Hello?", Jake called, "Anyone here?"

He heard someone running toward him in the other room.

Who was it?

Jake braced himself, in case it was the Huntsmaster. Or worse... Rose.

But his fears were calmed when Fu Dog appeared in the doorway.

"Fu! Is everything okay? Where's Grandpa?"

Fu didn't say anything.

Jake stared at him for a while, before Fu spoke, as Jake knew he could. The Fu in this world hadn't known that Jake knew this, though.

"Um... Jake, you're not gonna believe this, but... I can talk."

"I know."

"Wait... how do you..."

"It doesn't matter. Where's Grandpa?"

Fu sighed, "Your Grandpa... he's a dragon. And the Huntsclan found out his true identity. They came in, and before I knew what had happened, he was gone!"

"The Huntsclan? Oh no! Fu, what're we gonna do?"

"We? Kid, I dunno if YOU can do anything."

"You'd be surprised. Just trust me on this one, Fu. Where do you think they took him?"

"Probably in their secret base out on Ellis Island. Why?"

"Then that's where we'll go", Jake said reassuringly, "C'mon, Fu. I gotta go get someone, and then we're gonna go get Gramps back."

END CHAPTER

Hope it was good! Read and review, and I might update soon!

YFWE


	10. Chapter 9

Update! Hehe, not much else to say. Read!

Ordinary: Ch. 9

YFWE

Jake knew he'd need to get to Grandpa as quickly as he could. However, he also knew that he could not rescue him with the party's current state. He'd need someone else. Someone who might be able to help him...

"Fu, can you possibly provide a distraction for me? Just REAL quick?"

"Why's that?" Fu asked.

"Uh... you'll see, I guess. Just do it for me."

"Jeez, no need to be pushy...," Fu grimaced. "I've got just the thing. You, um... do your thing."

"Alright...," Jake stepped a few paces from Fu, watching the dog's 'distraction'. But as he did so, he realized something that he had never thought of prior; something that he probably should've already thought of.

The reason as to why Rose had left the restaurant.

She'd left because the Huntsclan had come to kidnap Grandpa! So apparently, Rose was still a part of the Huntsclan.

It would mean that, as much as he had disliked it in his own world, and as much as he had hoped that this dislike would not come true, Jake would have to fight her.

And so a chain of events would be set into motion. Rose didn't know his identity as the American Dragon in the real world, and she, of course, wouldn't possibly think of him being affiliated with the dragons of this world. Because Jake had NO dragon powers in this one. So she would have no reason to suspect him.

When Jake would reach Ellis Island, and the Huntsclan's secret (or, not-so-secret, now) base, he would see Rose, an she would see him- and Jake could imagine the look of sheer disbelief on her face when he was spotted.

And, of course, the Huntsmaster, likely not knowing who this boy was, would think of him as a trespasser- a spy, perhaps- and she would be ordered to capture him, and maybe even... even kill him.

Such was the nature of Jake's life in the real world. Such was his feelings. He never wanted to attack Rose during a square-off between the two foes. Even if she didn't know his identity- yet- Jake knew hers. And with this knowledge, he would be absolutely unable to even lay a hand on her.

But his fears would have to subside. Unless if she, for some odd reason, wasn't there, he would have to fight her. And at the Huntsmaster's urging, she would too.

True love is a terrible thing.

Jake stared from a distance at Fu's 'distraction'. It involved him wearing a blond wig, and a dress. As humiliating Jake was sure it was to Fu, no one had said that he had to dress up like that. Maybe he had a fetish for crossdressing. At any rate, it was working.'

"You can't really have it your way at Burger King!" Fu announced in his best female voice. "I attempted to have my Whopper (TRADEMARK alert!) doused in barbecue sauce, but they would not allow it! How's that for 'having it your way'?"

Fu came over a few moments later. "I have officially convinced the locals to revolt against Burger King. Enough of a distraction for ya?"

"Um... yes, very good," Jake grinned. He paused, before saying, "Chiang? Are you there?"

"You do know, Jake, that you are the only one that can see me," a voice from above him said. "You easily could have called me earlier."

"Ah, sorry," Jake said.

"Yo, kid- who're you talkin' to? I don't see anyone...," asked Fu.

"Um... Fu, this is gonna sound crazy, but he's here right now. You just... can't see him."

"What are you... hey, d'you mean that old guy standing behind you?" Fu pointed behind Jake.

Jake turned. Chiang, of course, was still standing behind him. And didn't seem phased. "Uh... Chiang, I thought you said that only I could see ya."

"And anyone else I wish to be spotted by. Which just so happens to be the talking dog."

Fu's eyes widened. "Hey, I know you... you're-"

Chiang raised a single slender finger to his mouth to signify Fu to be quiet. And Fu did, although he seemed to have some words deep in his throat that he wanted to let out.

"So, Jake," Chiang turned back to him, "What was it you needed?"

"Oh yeah. Chiang, it's my Grandpa. He's been kidnapped. I need your help to get him back!"

"Hm... sounds intriguing, but I'm not sure if I can."

"What? Why?"

"It's free will, Jake. I can't interfere with the free will of someone from another world. It's... just something I cannot do," Chiang said.

"So, now what?"

"I suppose I can help you get there," compromised Chiang. "But you'll be on your own once you get there. You'll have to save your Grandpa AND the American Dragon on your own."

"Say what? The American Dragon?"

"Yes, that is who I said. The American Dragon was captured by the Huntsclan a few days ago. Lao Shei was instructed to save him. But he, too, has failed." Chiang looked into his eyes deeply. "Jake... even without your dragon powers, it is in your best interest that you do this. For your sake... and this world's sake."

END CHAPTER

How does Fu know Chiang? How will Jake defeat the Huntsclan without his powers? Stay tuned, y'all.

YFWE


	11. Chapter 10

Hey all! I updated again!

Reviewers- thanks to: coolgirlc, KrazieShadowNinja, atecom, Worker72, CelloSolo2007, kimmie555, angelofsorrow227, MegaLaManiacoftheNorth, and Amdragon!

And thanks to the reviewer at the American Dragon Jake Long Fan Forum: AmericanHuntsgirlRose!

Ordinary: Ch. 10

YFWE

"You mean... I'm gonna have to do this by myself? You can't help me AT ALL?" Jake was a little upset at this turn of events, as he had hoped sincerely that Chiang could help him in trying to rescue Grandpa. And now... not only could Chiang not help, he had also decided to inform Jake that he needed to save the American Dragon, too!

Who in the hell was the American Dragon now?

Jake had no way to know. He'd have to ask Grandpa when he got there- if he got there.

But it seemed basically impossible without the help of Chiang.

Wait...

"Uh... yo, Chiang!"

"Hm?"

"Say that... you didn't exactly help us defeat the Huntsclan... but maybe, say, you came along, and... helped us get there," Jake tried this approach. A last ditch effort for the help he so profoundly desired.

"Ah... well, I suppose that it is not such a bad idea...," Chiang grinned slightly. "Okay then. Sure, Jake- I will do that for you. But just that. Then... you are on your own."

(End)

Using the teleportation powers that he possessed, Chiang teleported Jake and Fu to Ellis Island, where the Huntsclan's secret base was.

It was common to see tourists walking about the island- and that was exactly what was seen. It was 7:30 at this point, and the last ferry back to the mainland was to leave at 8. So until then, they'd have to be careful so that they would not be caught by anyone such as a park ranger who might accuse them of suspicious activity if they were to stray from the main path.

"So... what now, Chiang?" Jake asked. They were on Ellis Island now. The question was- where on the island was the secret base?

"You are on your own now, Jake," Chiang whispered. "I got you here- you must find the base on your own."

"Damn," said Jake, hanging his head slightly. "So how are we supposed to find it?"

"As I said- you're on your own," Chiang began to fade slowly. "Good luck, Jake. Your Grandpa and the American Dragon are counting on you."

And with that he was gone completely. This left Fu and Jake to stand there, pondering their next move.

"Say, Fu," Jake stared at him with intent, "Do ya think that maybe you could... I dunno, track it down? Try to pick up Gramps's scent?"

"Kid," Fu replied, "I have had a cold for a week now. You're not gettin' anything outta me."

"Ah, I beg to differ, Fu- you're going to."

"And what exactly are you gonna do to make me?" he was leading Jake on, willing him to attempt a way to convince him to try.

"Uh... well... I don't know what I'll do, but... when I do it, you'll wish I never did it!"

Fu chuckled at Jake's futile efforts. "Hm... to save you any more embarrassment in your quest to try and make me do anything- and I'll just do it. I'll try to sniff 'em out- just remember, though- I've got a cold. Can you smell very well when you have a cold?"

"No."

"My point exactly. So be patient... and I'll try to find 'em."

(End)

A half-hour later, the two of them were not at all better off than they were before.

"Fu, we've gone in two complete circles around the island. You know what this says to me?" asked Jake.

"Uh... I have a cold?"

"No... we actually need to go into the center of the island."

"Kid- we aren't allowed in the center- that's private property owned by New York!" Fu shouted.

"But wouldn't that be all the reason for the Huntsclan to make their base on Ellis Island- they could put it in the center of the island, where normal people couldn't get in."

"You got guts, I'll give ya that," said Fu. "Unfortunately for you- us, I should say- there is an electric fence surrounding the private part. So... what's your great idea for this one, hm?"

"Uh...," Jake walked up to the fence that separated the public area from the wooded area, "come over here."

"Eh... no."

"Now!"

"Alright, alright. Jeez."

Fu walked over to him. Jake, surprisingly to Fu, stood on his back.

"Uh... what're you doing?" Fu asked, bewildered by the weight of Jake on his back.

"This."

Jake leapt into the air, over the fence, and onto the ground on the other side.

"Aha! I did it!" He was pleased with himself.

"Very good, kid! One thing, though," Fu grunted, "How do you expect ME to get over the fence?"

"Uh... d'ya think you could dig underneath?"

"What? And get my paws dirty with this awful... earthy Ellis Island dirt?"

"Eh, yeah, that's what I was thinking."

"Psh," Fu began to dig, albeit reluctantly, "the things I do for you."

A few minutes later, Fu was to the other side as well.

"Alright, then," Jake sighed, "Let's keep going."

They walked through the deserted area. There were many trees, and a few buildings left over from when the United States used the island for European immigrants.

"Think they're inside one of the buildings?" asked Jake.

"Hm... could be. Lemme try and sniff 'em out," Fu said. He lowered his nose to the ground and, although it seemed with great strain, began to smell the ground, searching for a scent that would lead them to Grandpa.

"Hey...," he said when he reached a particular building, "Smells like dead newts and garbanzo beans. Exactly what he was eating before he got kidnapped."

Jake looked at him strangely. Dead newts?

"Uh... well, I suppose he wasn't actually EATING the newts, but... he was holding them, alright? Now... they went inside here," Fu pointed to a small white building.

"Uh... don't you think that's a bit small for a hideout?" retorted Jake.

"Kid- I'm just following my nose- wherever it goes," Fu said. "And I did not mean to make a reference just now to that damn Toucan Sam from the Froot Loops box. So not a word."

"Whatever," Jake went over to the lone door to the building and opened it.

There was nothing inside...

Except for an open trap door in the floor.

Inside the trap door was a staircase that led downwards.

Wherever that was.

"Aw...," whined Fu, "are we really gonna have to go down there!"

"If that's where Gramps is, then yes," Jake said, remembering what Chiang had told him. "Not only him... but the American Dragon as well."

END CHAPTER

HAH! I finished. So, read and review.

Now... I did this in my last update, and I'll do it again.

Would anyone be interested in joining the American Dragon: Jake Long Fan Forum? It's an awesome place, and many of those who write here are already members- Atecom, ADJL-Freakazoid, Emachinescat, and Lavenderpaw- just to name a few. So... wanna join, just give me a personal message and I'll hook ya up with the URL! XD Hope to see you all there!

Hm... next update for me... well, I've got my soccer team I need to coach tomorrow morning, and then we're off to Mason, Ohio, for Winterfest at Paramount's Kings Island, which is an amusement park. Basically they light up the place and... stuff. They haven't had it since 1990 (the year I was born), so we're not sure what to expect. So, in conclusion, I'm not sure about my next update. Could be tonight, you never know. It'll be in Switch, whatever it is. And then Rescue Me. So... until then, ask yourself this question.

What can brown do for you?

Later, all!

YFWE


	12. Chapter 11

I'm back, everyone! Happiness overwhelms you all, I'm sure. Well actually, probably not. But whatever. This will be quick- short and sweet. I won't even have any reviewer thanks; that's how big of a hurry I am in. But fear not, you shall be recognized in the next chapter.

So without any further ado, I bring you the next chapter!

Ordinary: Ch. 11

YFWE

The stairway was quite dark, a bit damp as well. Gray stone walls shot up from the cold, clammy floor, and they were given the impression that certain steps on the stairway could crumble beneath their feet at any given time.

But still, Jake and Fu pressed on, the air around them becoming colder and colder as they went even deeper underneath the deteriorating building, down to God-knows-where.

Soon, it had arrived at the point where any vision the duo once had was now dulled completely. Their pace slowed to a crawl, Jake finding each step carefully, especially considering that he had to be on the lookout for Fu, who had fallen down the steps a few moments earlier. It was possible that he had rolled all the way to the bottom of the stairs, and judging by the fact that he seemed to be walking through an endless corridor of darkness which exhibited not even the faintest signs of the light, the bottom was a good distance away.

However, it became apparent that the bottom of the steps did not necessarily mean light, as Jake soon found out when he stepped on Fu's motionless body. A small grunt escaped his mouth, and once Jake's foot had come off of Fu's back, he rolled over and said, "Watch where you're steppin', kid! Jeez..."

"Y'think I can actually see you? Seriously...," Jake whispered as he put his arms out, trying to feel for a wall. "Well, we're at the bottom of the steps... but it almost seems that there's no door to get out of here- plus, there's no light. What gives?"

"Dunno," replied Fu, as he slowly pulled himself up to a standing pose, "but all I know is- this couldn't possibly be a stairway that leads into nothing; it goes against all the rules of evil geniuses!"

"Aha!" Jake paused (or so it seemed to Fu, although he was only able to see a dim outline of Jake) and began to push on a certain part of a wall ahead of them, applying more and more pressure with every second. A portion of the wall began to slide forward, a rather annoying screeching noise accompanying it as it slid. Soon, the wall piece literally fell out of the wall, and a radiant beam of light flowed through the newfound hole in the wall.

"That's interesting...," Fu remarked.

"It looks like it's just big enough for me to fit through," Jake announced, slipping his head inside, "so you shouldn't have a problem getting through, either."

He pulled his head back out. "You comin'?"

"Eh... don't really want to, but if it means saving Gramps, I guess I will, considering that I'll probably feel guilty for the rest of my life if I don't."

"Cool," Jake once more slid his head inside the hole, and soon the rest of his body followed suit.

"C'mon, Fu- it's clear!"

"Alright, alright...," Fu walked over to the hole, "uh... y'know... that hole is kinda far up off the ground... not sure I can reach it..."

Thus began the longest time Jake or Fu had ever spent in a three-foot hole, as Jake first had to lift Fu up from inside the hole, and then pull him along, because it just so happened that Fu was a bit too wide for the hole and needed assistance to cross over.

But soon, they were both out, and now facing a long corridor of wooden doors on one side, and a wall that appeared similar to the walls on either side of the stairwell they had just came from.

"Okay... so now what?" Fu asked, glancing from the doors to Jake.

"Well... we'll need to check every door, I guess...," Jake said, although it was clear that he was still in deep thought on the matter.

However, it soon became apparent that checking all the doors was unnecessary, as the duo soon discovered, for a few moments later, a cry for help was emitted by someone further down the hallway. Not inside any door, but... so far away that the place it had come from was not visible in that hallway.

"Wh-what was that?" Fu asked, although he was unsure that Jake could actually give him an answer.

"Dunno," he said, "but it might lead us to Grandpa. Let's go."

The two of them raced down the hall, until they were at the end, and turned left.

And here, it was quite different than the last hallway they had stared down. This one was surrounded by tannish plastered walls, which seemed to close inward on each other, leading to a dark exit- it appeared to be a hole that nature did not intend to be there.

Furthermore, Jake and Fu both knew that they would be going even further down into the ground- this 'hole' definitely appeared to be gradually sloping downwards, by the looks of it outside the hole.

"Well, ready for more darkness, kid?" Fu asked, his voice shaking a bit himself.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, of course! Y'know... I once had to walk through a forest an ENTIRE night without any light. But was I scared? No!"

"Well, although I find that hard to believe," grinned Fu, "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. We need to get down there, and get down there now! Who knows what else might happen to Gramps and the American Dragon down there!"

The duo slipped into the arcade, observing their surroundings cautiously. Unlike the last descent, this one had no steps. It was complete dirt- even the walls were packed-together dirt and mud.

What was good, though, was this- light was visible this time at the end of the tunnel- first small, but soon enough, it was nearly as bright as a hot Summer day.

The tunnel's exit approached. Jake was about to hurry on out of there, ready to pounce on whatever was there- be it Huntsclan member, or anything else- when he was stopped by Fu.

"C'mover here, I want you to look at something...," the talking dog whispered, pointing to a part of the dirt that was just in front of his feet.

Jake bent over and looked. It was a footprint. That of a dragon.

"At least we know we're goin' the right way...," Jake said as he stood up, "but now what? What should we do?"

"What do ya mean, kid? We go in and save Gramps!"

"Well, yeah... I know that! But my question is... how?" Jake smacked his hand over his forehead in disgust. "Me... I've got no dragon powers! No magical abilities at all! And you..."

"Yep, I'm a talking dog. Sue me. We're gonna have to put our heads together, Jake... we got no magical mojo this time! So... got a plan?"

"Uh...," Jake didn't. But he knew one thing- "Let's go see, at least, what we're up against."

They tiptoed over to the exit of the arcade, and peered around the edge.

The first thing they realized was that they were actually on the top floor- two in total. It was a relatively large room- almost more like a factory. Minus all the conveyor belts and such.

But here was the most important thing- in the center of the room sat something that deeply resembled a half-spherical shape- as if one half was above the ground, and the other half was below. There was a large crease in the middle- telling Jake and Fu that the thng- whatever it was- was closed.

And there above it, there was two metal cages dangling. Inside the cages sat two small figures. And Jake was pretty sure who they were.

"Yo, Grandpa! Gramps!" Jake called from the railing. He swiftly found some steps and took them down to the lower level, Fu following behind him. He ran to the cages, staring up at them, waiting for a response.

No answer.

"Uh... G?" Jake said uncertainly.

"He's unconscious," came a voice from overhead. "But man, am I glad to see you guys."

From the right cage, the head of a blond-haired kid appeared. "Name's Dan," he said. "I'm the American Dragon."

"You're the Am Drag?" Jake asked.

"Uh... if that means American Dragon, then sure."

Jake paused, thinking for a moment. So he'd found them. "The big question is," he turned to Fu, "how can we get 'em out?"

"That's a question you WON'T be able to answer!"

Jake knew that voice. A deep, sinister, male voice. One he had encountered all too often.

Jake whirled around to see the Huntsmaster standing on the second floor, glaring down on him. He was alone at that point- good. No Rose. But there was bad news, too- the big guy himself was coming after Jake, and there was no way for Jake to defend himself.

"I do not know who you are...," The Huntsmaster said, "but I know this- your trespassing will NOT be overlooked!"

END CHAPTER

Hells yeah! I finally finished a chapter! Well, read and review, and I'll try to update soon! Later, all!

YFWE


	13. Chapter 12

Um... I'm... back? Haha, yep, I kind of got a bit of a reality check the other day and decided that I needed to start writing again. And so I have. Truth be told, there's some of you out there who may not know me because I have been gone for so long. So let me introduce myself again... I'm YFWE, I've been writing ADJL fanfiction the longest (I think) of anyone who is still writing ADJL fanfiction at this moment... since February 14th of last year. XD Yep, I'm an old timer, you could say. Anyway, though... I hope this chapter is enjoyable; I didn't work on it as hard as others, but that was because I felt there was an update in order and I wanted to get it up ASAP. So... I'd like to say hi and invite you along for the ride again... let's pray this ride will last.

Ordinary: Ch. 11

YFWE

Now the Huntsmaster was mad.

He leapt the full length from the second floor to the first, cape flying gracefully behind him. His eyes were balls of bright orange flame, his teeth grinding against each other in such a way that could quite possibly produce some sparks if this manner was continually repeated.

"You are trespassing on private property! What is your purpose for being here!" he demanded.

Jake stared at the huge man in disarray. He couldn't tell him the 'real' reason he was there. At least not yet. He would have to come up with a lie- and quick!

"Er... sorry, sir," he began. "I was walking my dog... and I, uh, stumbled into this place! Honestly, I didn't know that this place was private property!"

"There was a sign outside the fence that clearly stated that," the Huntsmaster growled.

"Oh, uh... must've missed it, sorry..."

The Huntsclan leader glared at the slightly shaking young boy. He wasn't telling the truth... perhaps there was more he could get out of him...

But then, out of sheer curiosity, he glanced at the dog. It had been planted at the boy's side the entire time, eyes darting all around the room. But mostly, right above the Huntsmaster.

The Huntsmaster glanced up. Ah, yes, the cage. The cage where the American Dragon and his Dragon Master were being held at that moment.

But then he wondered- why would the dog be staring up there? Was there some sort of movement from inside the cage? Maybe...

Wait! The dog! The Huntsmaster recognized it now! The dog had been spotted with the dragons all the time- even when the Huntsclan had raided their headquarters and kidnapped the dragons! Yes... it was all coming together now...

He grinned menacingly. "Nice try, boy. But I can see right through your lies," he pointed a gloved finger at the dog, Fu. "That every dog has been spotted with the two dragons I have captured. Quite recently, in fact. So tell me, young man... who sent you to rescue these dragons?"

Jake winced. Shit, he never gave the Huntsmaster enough credit. Perhaps he was a bit smarter than he came off as. Quickly, he came up with a rebuttal- hopefully, it would work.

"Not to be rude, sir, but... there are a lot of dogs in New York, trust me... are you sure you're not mistaking my fog for... wait, did you say dragons?"

Jake tried to look surprised. Duh, he had nearly forgotten- he wasn't supposed to know about dragons- he was to be an innocent bystander... it appeared as if his cover was blown.

And he was right.

"Say... you look a lot like the Dragon Master...," the Huntsmaster continued, "and that very dog has been spotted with them. I don't believe for a second that this is a coincidence..."

"... so this is an attempt to rescue the dragons, is it?"

Jake said nothing. Fu kept his gaze on the cage.

"That's what I thought. I would escort you out myself, but I'm far too busy... so I'll find a replacement."

He took out some kind of walkie-talkie, and spoke into it, "Huntsgirl... please report to the main laboratory; I have some _trespassers _that I wish for you to take care of."

Jake gasped. Huntsgirl... Rose... she was coming. She'd see him. This could not be good.

She entered the room through the same tunnel as Jake and Fu had a few moments prior. Her dark Huntsclan mask was pulled on loosely- as if she had just sort of thrown it on and rushed out to meet her master.

"Trespassers, uncle? What, they didn't read the...," she paused. Jake realized that this was because she was staring right at him.

"J-jake?"

"Eh, yo, Rose, what's happenin'?"

"Wait!" she pulled off her mask and leapt down, landing with catlike grace. "How'd... how'd you know it was me?"

"Rose... there's a lot of things that you don't know about me...," Jake began, "and I'd love to explain it all to you, but there's no time- I need your help!"

"Help? For what?"

"Huntsgirl... you... know this boy?" the Huntsmaster looked at her demandingly.

"Yes, uncle... he's, um, a boy from school..."

"That doesn't change the fact that he was and still is trespassing! Now listen to your uncle and escort him out! We have... unfinished business to attend to with the dragons..."

Rose sighed. "Yes sir... c'mon, Jake..."

Jake reluctantly followed, Fu by his side. But he wasn't leaving without a fight. Jake had a plan...not the best plan, of course, but it would have to do. Grandpa's life depended on it.

"Rose...," Jake whispered, "there's something I gotta tell you."

"I'm listening...," she replied.

"Um... well, it's like this- you're probably not gonna believe this, but I'm not from this world..."

"This world? Of course you are! You've been going to school with me for almost a year now!"

"No... what I mean is, I'm from a world... that's adjacent to this one. I think this world was created by a... family friend. I'd explain more, but I don't have much time. Rose..."

"What?"

"... I need your help to free the dragons."

Rose looked at him alarmingly, "What? Jake... why? Those dragons are my enemies... they have tried to harm me just as I have tried to harm them! Why on earth do you want to free them?"

"Rose... there's a lot of stuff that you don't know about me, yet. You don't even know this about me in my original world... but the Dragon Master is my Grandpa. Rose, while I don't have my powers right now, I am, in fact, a dragon as well."

Rose was shocked. And rightfully so. Her boyfriend... her enemy as well? Of course, the Rose in the real world had yet to experience this feeling, but she would soon enough.

"Jake... I, um... can't believe it!"

"Yeah...," Jake struggled to find the words to say, but found them, and continued. "So... really, is there any way to get those dragons out of their cages?"

"Well... only my uncle knows. I think the key is in his cape, unfortunately. We'd have to somehow get it from him... I just don't know how..."

"Can you provide a distraction, and then maybe I can sneak up behind him, bring 'im down, get the key, and save them!" Jake smiled. Ah, how he loved it when a plan came together...

"I don't mean to throw a wrench in your thought process, but... how do you plan on getting up to the cages?" asked Rose.

"Um... I was hoping you could do it..."

Rose turned to look at her uncle. He was standing with his back to them. Good.

"Okay, this could work. You sneak around to the side, and I'll distract him. Then, run up behind him, tackle him, find the key, and leave the rest to me..."

"Dude, how am I supposed to tackle that behemoth of a man?" Jake exclaimed.

"Uh... you'll manage," Rose whispered. "Now, go!"

Jake snuck around to the side, and Rose called, "Uncle, he's gone. Could I, uh, ask you something?"

The Huntsmaster turned around to face her. Jake took his position behind him.

"Yes, what is it, Huntsgirl?"

"One thing- watch out!" she taunted.

He looked at her in question. Jake ran, and collided with his back, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Some kind of shiny object (an object that would sure as hell get my attention, for obvious reasons... coughADDcough) fell from his pocket and clanged to the floor. The key.

"Rose!" the Huntsmaster and Jake exclaimed at the same time.

Rose sprinted over and snatched the key. She grasped it in her hand in triumph and said, "Sorry, uncle... it's something I gotta do..."

Jake leapt off of the Humtsmaster and scrambled over to Rose.

"So... you think you can outsmart me!" questioned the Huntsclan leader.

"Well, think again."

He took out some kind of device from his cape. This had two huge red buttons on it.

"Would you like to know what _this _button does?" he taunted.

"Uh... I have a feeling you're gonna show us, no matter what," Jake sighed.

"Smart boy." He pressed the top button.

The half-cylinder-like object underneath the two cages opened up. And, to Rose and Jake's dismay, it revealed hundreds of spinning blades. Sharp ones; blades that would rip anything that was thrown into it to pieces.

The Huntsmaster grinned slyly, "This other button releases the dragons from their cages. Unfortunately for them, it opens up the bottom of the cage. They will not even have one second to change into their dragon forms as they fall... to certain death!"

"No! You wouldn't!" Jake yelled.

"Oh, but I will... that is, unless you give me the key..."

Rose and Jake stared at each other, and then the key.

"The choice is yours... the key... or the dragons' lives!"

END CHAPTER

WOWZAH! Another wonderful cliffie brought to you by yours truly... in fact, I end with cliffies a lot. It's just what I do... like those kids in the VERB commercial... Verb, it's what you do! Mwahaha... anyway, one more chapter 'til the end! Please read and review! I need 'em to keep writing; I'm hoping my return will be more successful than Ma$e's! (Only some will get that...) Bye-ness!

YFWE the Bling Bling Masta


	14. Chapter 13

And hello again! YFWE here with another update, after a brief break from writing fanfics. My last update was actually my fanfic 'Everything Burns,' which was my first M-Rated on this site. And now, I think I shall update this, as I am quite close to finishing it. This chapter of "Ordinary" was originally supposed to be the last, but I decided that I could draw it out over two instead. Who knows... maybe I'll go into June and officially make this fic one year old without being finished! So... I really don't have much else to say, except that I would really appreciate your reviews and such. So... here we go!

Ordinary: Ch. 12

YFWE

It was the choice of a lifetime.

Unfortunately for Jake Long, this choice was not quite as easy as other choices had been up to that point. When we think of choices we make throughout the day, we never really think of the simpler choices, in comparison to the larger, more important ones. Choices like... should I do my homework today? Or.. I think I left the oven on; should I turn it off or just ignore it? Those are the easy choices.

But then there are those choices that matter so much more. Choices that could mean life... or death.

And in this case, it was death.

Jake and Rose stood there side by side, the former in his normal human form (because, of course, in this world he was not a dragon) and the latter in her Huntsclan uniform, minus the mask. In Rose's hand she held a small key. It was the key that, in effect, was a key to two humans' survival.

But what was this? The Huntsmaster opposed them, a few paces away. In HIS hand was a small device with two bright red buttons. One of the buttons had already opened up a half-globe on the floor in the center of the room, in which spun somewhere close to thirty long metal blades, of course signifying that anyone who happened to fall in would be cut to ribbons.

Dangling above this melee was a cage. In the cage was the new American Dragon, Dan.

Even though it would've mattered to Jake no matter who was in the cage, it was the second figure inside that was most important to him.

For this figure, although not visible at the time, was his Grandpa and Dragon Master, Lao Shei.

Of course, Grandpa was no longer Jake's Dragon Master. Jake was not even a dragon. This world that Chiang had created... it had changed so many things in Jake's life. Some things were for the best. But other instances...

...such as this now...

Jake figured that it was best he did not think of such things at this point, as it was imperative that Jake find a way to get Grandpa and Dan out of there.

But how? Rose had the key, luckily. But if she made the slightest move toward the cage, it'd be lights out for the two "tenants" of the cage. The Huntsmaster would see to that.

"Um... if you've got any bright ideas, right now would be a great time to hear 'em," Jake whispered to Rose.

"What can we do?" Rose shot back. "They'll die if I make one move toward the cage!"

She paused. "...I guess that the only thing we CAN do is return the key!"

"What! But what about..."

"Would you rather they die now, or die later?" Rose asked demandingly. "If we give him the key now, maybe we can think of another way..."

"I'm waiting," said the Huntsmaster impatiently.

Rose emitted a long sigh, before walking dejectedly toward her uncle. Saying not a word, she held out the key to the Huntsmaster.

"Rose...," Jake whispered.

There became a moment of silence before the Huntsclan leader snatched the key quickly.

"Hm... I suppose some thanks are in order, then...," he smiled slyly. "I shall let you leave."

He was referring to Jake, who did not seem all that thrilled by this.

"Thank you, uncle," Rose bowed to her master. Then she turned to Jake, "Jake... get outta here. Things could get ugly." Then she added under her breath, "I'll try and get them out."

Jake nodded. He turned on his heel and began back toward the tunnel through which he had entered. It was, in effect, something he had to do. And hey- Rose could handle it, couldn't she? She could at least try and free Grandpa...

As Jake disappeared into the arcade, the Huntsmaster retrieved the same communication device he had used to call Rose a few minutes prior. "All Huntsclan members," he said sternly into the device, "we have a trespasser on the grounds. He is heading toward the Research lab. Please intercept him and proceed to the prisoner ward, immediately!"

"Wait!" Rose exclaimed. "You said...!"

"I KNOW what I said," he sneered. "I said he could leave. I simply did not specify whether or not he was to leave the room or leave the building."

"No!" she cried, leaping towards the tunnel. "Jake, watch out!"

Meanwhile, Jake proceeded rather slowly towards the building's exit. He didn't want to leave... but he had faith in Rose.

It was the Huntsmaster he didn't trust.

Good thing, too.

"Jake!" he heard Rose's voice calling from behind him.

"R-rose?" Jake whirled around. "What's..."

"Look out!"

Jake was promptly slammed into by a black whirlwind from his left side, the force of the blow knocking him a few feet away and onto the ground.

The black figure stood over him, and soon after it was joined by half a dozen similar, if not identical, black figures. Lesser members of the Huntsclan.

"Don't you hurt him!"

Rose barreled into one of the ninjas, definitely catching it off guard as it went sprawling across the hall.

But as Rose felt a slight sense of triumph wash over her, one problem still presented itself.

She was still outnumbered six-to-one.

"Nice try," spoke the leader.

From his staff sprung a net, which enveloped Rose before she had a chance to evade it.

It knocked her off her feet- which surprised Rose, to say the least. That is, until she realized what the net really was.

The net was a new prototype of which the Huntsclan had recently developed. It... drained the energy of its target, to make a long story short.

And that's exactly what it began to do.

"Nnghh...," Rose grunted as she struggled to sit up. She stared over at Jake. He was in the same net.

"Jake... n-no...," she gasped weakly. She laid her head down, to see three Huntsclan members hover above her.

"No..."

Her vision began to blur, soon becoming completely darkened.

She managed to utter one last sigh.

And then all went silent.

END CHAPTER

So... it was short, everyone. But it worked, I think. A nice setup to a final chapter... or is this the end of the story altogether? I'll leave that up to you guys to ponder. So read and review, and I'll update somewhere else soon!

YFWE


	15. Chapter 14

Before we begin:

**Before we begin:**

**For those of you that are old fans of this fanfic, what you are seeing is not a mirage: after two years of inactivity, I have at long last finished the final chapter of "Ordinary." Crazy, huh? Normally someone would have given up by now, but somehow I have persevered, and the final product is finally here. This chapter has gone through countless rewrites, all corresponding to a different phase of my life and writing style. And so, it is my deep aspiration that, when one reads this, they will not only be entertained, but will also be able to see how much I have improved in nearly three years' time. (Yes, this fic is nearly three years old; my second fic ever, actually.)**

**Believe me, I'd love to provide those of you joining us late with a proper recap of the action thus far. However, the fact of the matter is, I would far more rather that you simply read back through the story; it is truly not that long, much shorter than, say, my current fanfics. But if you are not one for description, I can provide a short summary, I think.**

**To make a long story short: Jake makes the decision one night to no longer be the American Dragon, which would in turn (or so he believes) strengthen his relationship with Rose. The second he wishes for this, however, a mysterious old man named Chiang Minh appears and tells him that, if it is truly what he wants, he can show Jake a world in which he is not the American Dragon. Jake agrees to see this place, but after first believing it to be far better than the world from which he came, he finds later that this is not the case—and to boot, Grandpa has kidnapped by the Huntsclan, along with the new American Dragon! So, along with Fu, Jake goes—powerless—to try and rescue the captives. However, once he is there, he is encountered by the one person he didn't want to encounter—Rose. In this world, Rose was not only dating Jake rather steadily, but did not know of his dragon heritage—not, of course, that he had any in this world. Jake, however, is able to convince Rose of his situation, and together they venture to free the dragons… but not before they are stopped and apprehended by the Huntsmaster….**

**And this is where the story begins. I would highly recommend reading back, though… especially the last chapter. **

**Do recall as well that this fanfic is set after the Ski Trip episode, but before The Hunted. In other words, Rose knows not of Jake's true identity. Thought that would be good to clear up.**

**Well, it's been a few years, but let's finish this thing up.**

Ordinary: Ch. 14

YFWE

Jake opened his eyes with the thought that, surely, he had died and had gone to heaven. He blinked. Twice. And again…

_I didn't think heaven would be this dark, _he thought to himself. He could barely, in fact, see his hand in front of his face—unless, of course, the Huntsclan had had it cut off or something. Given the lack of pain he was feeling in that area, however, he concluded that either it was still there, or he was simply on too many painkillers for it to even matter.

But that couldn't be—his head hurt like the devil.

He had not been awake long, and yet already Jake had realized two things: one, he was not dead, or at least not in heaven; and two, all his limbs were still attached to his body.

Now it was time to figure out where he truly was.

He had been laying flat on his side, arm outstretched in front of him as if he had been tossed into that position, a mere afterthought. He rose to a sitting pose, his head pulsating rhythmically, his eyes still adjusting to the darkness. It was not pitch black wherever he was, but it was damn well near to it—there was a doorway close to Jake, and bright light was streaming in through the cracks between the door and the wall.

And finally, Jake realized that he could see his hands in front of him, his eyesight now slightly accustomed to the dark. But it was not enough. No, not nearly enough.

"Eye of the dragon."

Nothing.

Jake cursed his ignorance. What a fool he was!—in this world, he had no dragon powers! He was not the American Dragon, he was Jake Long: skateboarding prodigy, winner of the Inter-City championships two years running!

It finally hit him. And hard, harder even than the headspltting pain in his head when he had first awakened. Dan, the American Dragon—and more importantly (to him, anyway), Grandpa—were still trapped, captives of the Huntsmaster. And now, it seemed, so was he.

And then, another thought hit him, even harder than the last—Rose!

She had been taken too, he was sure of it. In fact, she could very well be in that room at that exact moment….

"Rose?"

Jake had whispered—rather, breathed—this word, unsure of whether or not someone else was listening in on the room, to determine if its captives had awakened….

There was a noise at the door, a distinct sliding noise, as if some object was being slid down some part of the door. Jake winced; when he had whispered Rose's name, someone surely had heard him, and now they were coming for him.

A click, followed by a creaking sound, indicated that the door had been unlocked, and whatever was outside was now coming in. Light flowed copiously into the room, and nearby Jake saw another body on the floor—Rose's.

"Kid, you in here?" said a gruff voice from the doorway that Jake immediately recognized as Fu's. Instead of providing an answer, however, Jake had rushed to the side of Rose's limp body, now that the newfound light permitted him a good glimpse of her.

Ignoring another searing pain in his head, Jake grabbed Rose's shoulder and began to shake it gently. "Rose. Rose!"

"She still out?" Fu walked to Rose's side as well, staring down at her in interest. "Must've been a pretty strong net they caught you two in… although hers must have been somewhat stronger. How's your head?"

Jake paused momentarily from his attempt to awaken Rose. "Think of the worst migraine you've ever gotten and multiply that about twenty times."

"Kid, if you knew the hangovers I've accrued over the years, you'd know that a headache that strong would probably kill just about anyone." Fu's eyes widened. "Yep, gotta long gash on your forehead, from the looks of it. If we can make it out of this alive, you're definitely gonna want to clean that thing out."

Resisting an urge to reach up and touch his abrasion, Jake instead asked, "Um, so how exactly did you find us? Without the Huntsclan seeing you, I mean."

"It's a wonder they haven't seen me yet, to be honest, so I really can't explain much. Let's just say that I was often in the right place at the right time and I was able to avoid them… plus, I saw them stuff you two in here. I've been hiding out in the lovely restrooms they have for the last hour or two."

"Okay, what about the door? It was locked, wasn't it?"

"Well, of course it was! You didn't think they were just gonna let you wander outta here once you came to, did you? Nah, it was locked. And before you ask how I unlocked it without a key, lemme tell ya—credit cards really can come in handy for more than putting yourself in the largest debt imaginable. Which reminds me—"

"Later, Fu!" exclaimed Jake. He had gone back to lightly shaking Rose's shoulder. "Where's the Huntsmaster now? Is the key with him?"

"Are you gonna keep asking stupid questions like this? Yes, the Huntsmaster still has the key. Either he or one of his goons has it, that is… either way, they're definitely not just sitting out in the middle of the floor, so you can rule that out now."

Fu glanced down at Rose, who was still unconscious. "Y'know, as much help as I'm sure she'd be, we're running out of time. The Huntsman's gonna push the big red button anytime now, and—pardon the tasteless joke I'm about to make—if we don't act soon, Gramps and the American Dragon are gonna be in specially marked boxes of Kibbles and Bits within the hour."

Jake gave Fu a blank look.

"Oh, come on... they're gonna be chopped into bits and… good God, ANY OTHER DAY, you would've laughed at that. Anyway, leave the girl, we gotta go!"

Fu snuck around the corner, Jake in tow, watching both ways to see if anyone was coming down the hallway. There was no one, but they would still need to act fast—very fast, in fact, for Jake swore he could hear voices coming from the large open room…

They had broken into a slight jog upon leaving the room, but just before reaching the entrance to the warehouse-like room, Fu stopped, and Jake had barely enough time to do the same before stepping out into the open.

Fu jerked his head towards the middle of the room, where the cage holding Grandpa and Dan hung from the ceiling and where the machine of razorblades sat beneath. Two Huntsclan guards stood side by side facing the cage on the upper platform, their backs to the entranceway where Jake and Fu stood. Glinting in the light, hanging from the left guard's pocket, was the key—now on a keyring. There appeared to be no one else in the room—no one else in plain view, at least.

"Any plan?" Jake whispered to Fu.

"Not really… come to think of it, it would've made much more sense to wake up Huntsgirl," sighed Fu.

"We can always go back…"

"No, here's the plan. Neither one of us gets spotted, and you go steal the key from the guards. I'm gonna go work on the death machine underneath." Fu reached into his skinfolds and produced a tiny vial. "This stuff is three years old and there's barely any left, but it'll turn you invisible. I'd been saving it for an occasion like this, or for whenever Big Ernie's debt collectors came by again, whichever came first. If we split it between the two of us, it'll last us about five minutes each, so really get a move-on, huh?"

Jake assented silently, gulping slightly at the notion of what he was about to do—or, at least, try to do. He, of no dragon powers—let alone any other power, save for a brief state of invisibility—was to not only steal a very visible key from two men with weaponry that might intimidate any national army, but was to carry said key off undetected—

"What do you want me to do with the key once I've got it?" Jake asked with uncertainty.

"Er…" it was obvious that Fu had not yet considered this. "Well, you certainly can't unlock the cage while they're looking right at it and all. Just… I dunno, you'll think of somethin', I'm sure."

"Gee, you're helpful," whispered Jake disgustedly. "If I die—"

"They'll take you hostage again before they kill ya," interrupted Fu. "You're not of magical blood, no matter how confusing it is—your grandfather being a dragon and all. (Jake opened his mouth as if to explain, but once again decided to forge the details.) They aren't gonna kill some innocent human, even if you are acting rather suspiciously, trespassing on their secret base while a couple of dragons are about to be killed," explained Fu.

"And you?"

"We'll worry about that when the time comes. Ready?"

Jake nodded. Fu handed him the vial. "Just half," he breathed as Jake pressed the liquid to his lips. As there was not much left, only a few droplets trickled down his throat, but already Jake could feel a tingling sensation that encompassed his entire body. Soon, he stared down to see only the vial floating in midair. "Quickly, go!" hissed Fu, snatching the vial from his invisible, yet quite tangible, grip.

Leaving Fu behind, Jake walked out into the open room, his eyes scanning about for other possible adversaries; so far, though, it appeared that the two guards were the only threats, although he swore he could hear voices coming from the entranceway out of which the Huntsmaster had stepped before… and then, of course, there was the impending peril of his invisibility ceasing.

A gleaming metallic stairway nearby would lead him to the catwalk where the guards stood. Jake stepped briskly toward it, all the time listening in on what was a conversation between the two Huntsclan guards.

"So, Mark, while we're up here…"

"I told you, Harry, I'm not into guys."

"C'mon man, I just wanted to tell you a joke… it'll pass the time."

"Harry, your jokes are insolent and incredibly lame. I'd rather pass the time staring at this spot on the wall, as I had been doing for the past hour before you interrupted me."

"Just one."

"Fine."

A creaking sound caused Mark, the right guard, to turn quickly and stare at the space that Jake occupied, who in turn cursed the middle of step of the staircase that he was standing on.

"What's wrong?" asked Harry. "Y'still wanna hear it?"

"Sorry, thought I heard something over there," Mark replied, his eyes narrowed as he reluctantly returned to his spot facing the cage.

"Right, so—Mark, did you ever see Helen Keller's playhouse?"

"Can't say that I have."

Jake reached the head of the stairs, his gaze turning to the two guards and the cage. He had been lucky enough to avoid any other creaking stairs; it was his sincere hope, now, that the catwalk would not fail him….

"You didn't?"

"No, I didn't, is there a point to this joke?"

"It's okay, I never saw it either. In fact… you know, come to think of it, neither did she."

Jake was so close to the left guard now that the guard could have easily reached out with his left hand and touched him. Just inches ahead of him was the key, dangling lazily out of the guard's pocket. It occurred to Jake suddenly that not only would the guard likely feel the key being lifted from his person, but once out of the pocket, keeping it from bumping into anything and making noise would be another battle.

"Like I said, insolent…"

"Oh, Mark—you have to admit—"

Jake reached with both hands, both of which were shaking—or so, of course, he thought, as he could not actually see them. Finally, he grasped something cold and clammy—the keyring. He began to lift slowly, closing one hand on the key so that it would not clang against anything once freely moving…

A feeling of exuberance tugged at his heart—the key was out; he'd done it! And, as the guards were still having a rather animated discussion about what deems a joke tasteless and what does not, his theft had thankfully been overlooked. As he could not dream of unlocking the cage while the guards were present, Jake began back towards the stairway, where perhaps he might find Fu, and concoct their next plan of action.

"Whatever your opinion," Mark said, "it appears as if our bickering has actually put the dragons to sleep." He peered into the cage, with Harry following suit. "We can turn back around now, then…"

"Yeah, so—let me know what you think of this one," spoke Harry as the two of them turned around. "What's the best thing about having sex with twenty-eight year olds?"

Mark did not answer; rather, his eyes widened as he stared, bemused, at a key floating away from their position. "Say, Harry… where'd you put the key to the cage?"

"My pocket. It's right—" he froze, his eyes falling on the floating key, just as his hand reached his empty pocket. They turned to each other, mouths agape.

Jake turned onto the stairway, his gaze flickering back momentarily to the cage and the two guards. He froze: they were staring straight at him.

"Damn," growled Jake under his breath. Without another glance back at them, he flung himself down the stairs, the sound of his feet clanking against the metallic stairs reverberating throughout the room. From above him, he could hear the guards beginning to give chase.

Jake darted towards the machine below the cage, hoping that he would somehow find Fu. "Got the key," he whispered in random places around the machine, in optimism that Fu would hear him and understand that at least part of their plan had gone well. But he heard nothing in response.

He paused, and pressed himself against the walls of the machine. The key, of course, was still visible ahead of him. From either side of the machine came the two guards. Both of them appeared to see the key at the same time, and both began to descend upon Jake's position from both sides. Soon they were both feet away from the key… but just as both lunged, Jake dove out of the way, causing them to headbutt each other, sending them sprawling to the ground.

Jake ran back towards the staircase, seeing this as his supreme chance to get a chance at the cage. He sprinted up the stairs, turned, and soon was standing in front of the cage. The guards had been right—Grandpa and Dan, it seemed, were asleep on the floor of the cage. Jake's gaze darted around, looking for the lock. Suddenly, he spotted it. At the far right side of the front of the cage.

Unfortunately, however, the moment he had discovered the lock, before he could even plunge the key into the lock, his five minutes had expired and his invisibility was gone. And the second he found out this, he knew he was condemned.

"I can see you."

The guards were at his side, having leapt up effortlessly from the ground floor. But it was not they who had spoken.

The guards grabbed Jake's shoulders and spun him around. Jake stared up into the deprecating gaze of the Huntsman, standing a ways away at the second floor entranceway.

And in a second he was there, directly in front of Jake. "You have not been truthful with us," he snarled. "No mere human could've turned invisible as you just have exemplified."

Jake stared angrily into the Huntsmaster's pale eyes.

"And yet if you were a dragon, you would surely have already transformed," continued the Huntsman. "So tell me, where do your allegiances lie?"

"Not with you," growled Jake.

"I thought that would be the state of affairs. In that case, you may witness your dragon friends die first… and then I shall kill you in the same way."

The Huntsman took out the red-buttoned device. He first pressed the top button, which Jake knew as the button that activated the razorblades.

The half-cylinder below the cage opened… and yet, the razorblades merely sat there, unmoving.

"What?!" the Huntsmaster began to press the button repeatedly.

"Chewing gum has far more uses than the obvious, Huntsman," laughed Fu, who had appeared at the top of the stairs. "Those gears of yours, for instance… stick some in there, and boom—no dragons dying today."

The Huntsmaster spun to look at Fu. Jake felt the guards' grip on his shoulders slacken in surprise. Without hesitation, he elbowed one guard in the stomach and shoved the other to the ground. He whirled around, thrust the key into the lock, and turned it.

The door swung open with a creak, and Jake ducked to the side, joining Fu's side. The Huntsmaster's eyes widened, and slowly he turned back around to the cage.

A figure appeared at the door—Grandpa. "I was sleeping," said he, "when I was rudely interrupted by a mass commotion out here. Have you come to your senses and decided to release us, then, Huntsmaster?"

Grandpa stared around, grinning at Fu, and then pausing on Jake. He did not seem to know what to say… and, it appeared, decided as if later would be the better time for explanations.

Another figure joined Grandpa at the door—Dan. He had a large grin on his face.

"I order you," growled the Huntsman, "to return to the cage, or you shall suffer the consequences."

Grandpa shrugged. "I will take these 'consequences.'" He lunged at the Huntsman, a dark blue blur. Dan leapt out of the cage and was engulfed in a yellow flame—soon after, he was a tall yellow and blue dragon.

The guards had begun to advance on Jake and Fu once more, but were sent sprawling off the side of the catwalk by Dan's airborne dragon form. "Get on," he ordered, lowering his back. "I'll take you two outside… I'm sure Master Shi will not be long at all…"

As much as Jake wished to get in the fight, he obeyed, slinging Fu onto Dan's back with him. As they tore along towards the exit, Jake stole one last look at Grandpa, who had the Huntsman pinned to the ground with his tail….

Without even the slightest flinch, Dan broke through the wall that Jake and Fu had come through to get inside the base (which had been resealed.) The bricks fell away as if they were nothing; Jake wondered if it would've been that easy when they had come through earlier.

Soon they were out of the trap door and into the abandoned Ellis Island building that housed the secret entrance to the base. Dan once again lowered his back, allowing them to dismount him. "Wait here," he said. "I'm going to go get Master Shi…"

"Not necessary."

The dragon form of Lao Shi had, too, climbed from the trap door. He dusted himself off and reverted to human form. "I lessened my grip on him for one second and he took off… but it gave me enough time to escape as well."

"Shall we be heading back in?" asked Dan.

"No, I do not think so. Jake needs to go home." Grandpa turned to his grandson. "You can explain to me what is going on on the way back."

Jake nodded, and Grandpa returned to his dragon form, allowing Jake to climb on his back. And with this, they took off into the night.

"Did Fu explain everything to you, and force you to help him find me?" asked Grandpa in interest.

"No. Gramps, this is gonna sound crazy…"

"Then it was Chiang, wasn't it?"

Jake paused. "Yeah, how did you—"

"Then I shall have to shift my focus so I can explain myself."

They were very high in the air now, the outline of the skyscrapers of New York ablaze with many-colored lights. It was extremely peaceful out. Jake had always loved this about the city.

"When you became the American Dragon," started Grandpa, "I knew that maybe, just maybe, you would at some point have second thoughts about your destiny and your duty. In short, there could come a time when you would not want to be the American Dragon anymore. So I spoke to _my _old mentor, my dragon master—Chiang Minh."

"Chiang Minh was your dragon master? No wonder Fu recognized him!"

"Chiang has powers far beyond my own," continued Grandpa. "I knew of his ability to transcend the fabrics of different worlds, and thus I asked him to do me a favor.

"I asked him if he could, when the time came that you were questioning your duty as the American Dragon, pull you into one of these worlds—a world in which you were not the American Dragon. Obviously, what I feared has occurred, am I right?"

"You are," said Jake. "But if you're from another world… how did you know that this would happen?"

"Despite what world I am in, I have always had Chiang Minh as a dragon master. He came to me—and, I'm sure, all other alternate versions of myself—and explained the situation."

"I see."

The rooftop of Grandpa's shop was nearing. The two dragons and their passengers touched down lightly, and Dan and Fu headed back inside.

"So, let me ask, Jake: what was it that caused you to have these second thoughts?"

"Well…" sighed Jake. "This girl."

"Huntsgirl, yes?"

"…exactly…"

"You wanted to relinquish your duties so that you could be with her."

"How do you know so much?"

"Let's just say I had the same problem once."

The grandson and his grandfather stared at each other for a few moments.

"So what have you concluded?" asked Grandpa.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, shall you be staying here, or shall you be returning to your own world?"

Jake stared at the ground. "I think," he said, "that it is my duty as the American Dragon to return to my own world. As much as I would love to stay here."

"That is precisely what I hoped you would say," Grandpa smiled warmly.

Jake smiled back, and glanced at the sky. "Chiang?"

"Right here, Jake." the old man was suddenly beside him.

"Chiang," nodded Grandpa curtly.

"Hello, my old friend."

Grandpa grinned. "Thank you… thank you very much." He nodded to Jake, and followed Dan and Fu back inside.

"I see you have made your choice," Chiang said, turning to Jake.

"I have."

"I congratulate you, then," Chiang set his hand on Jake's shoulder. "If you ever need anything, do not hesitate to call me."

Before Jake could respond, he began to feel as if he was being lifted into the air. The scene dissolved around him, and soon he was standing in the street outside the house in which his last battle with the Huntsclan had occurred. The rain was still coming down rather hard, which caught him off guard. But truthfully, he could not have been happier.

He stared down at his hands, and with a grin, whispered, "Dragon up." His hands, as well as the rest of his body, were engulfed in the familiar red flame, and soon he felt the power and strength of his dragon form coursing through every fiber of his body.

With one fierce beat of his wings, he rose into the air, heading back towards Grandpa's shop. In what seemed like mere minutes, he was standing back on the roof of Grandpa's shop, once more in his human form.

His cell phone rang. Half-surprised, Jake took it from his pocket and stared down at it. Rose was calling.

"Hello?"

"Jake! Hi!"

"Hey there."

"I just really, really wanted to apologize again for having to leave our date early… something came up."

"Like I said before, it's okay," said Jake.

"Well, anyway, wasn't there something you wanted to tell me?"

"Oh!" Jake had forgotten about his fervent desire to tell Rose his secret. Part of him, even after that night, wanted to… wanted to tell her what he was, and that he knew what she was…

But instead, Jake smiled broadly.

"Oh, it was nothing. Listen, I gotta go hang with my Grandpa for a while. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

END STORY

**God, finally. That ending sounded a lot better, oh, I dunno, about three years ago. Oh well, it's FINALLY FINISHED! does epic happy dance Now I don't have to worry about this thing anymore!**

**Read and review if you wish. Honestly, I'm just glad I finally finished.**

**Yours in fiction,**

**YFWE**


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